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Human capital crises
Pakistan has no vast reserves of oil, gas, or other natural resources that it can count on to turn its present economic woes around. The only resource that the country can count on to build a better future is its people. Ironically, our human resources have arguably been our most neglected and underdeveloped resource. This point has been underscored recently by the World Bank’s Vice President for South Asia Martin Raiser while launching a policy notes series on how Pakistan can improve its development outcomes and build a better future for its people.
Currently, Pakistan’s Human Capital Index (HCI) value stands at 0.41, as per the World Bank, which is lower than the South Asia average of 0.48 and barely above the Sub-Saharan Africa average of 0.40. To make matters worse, our overall HCI value, while already quite low, masks inequalities between rich and poor, men and women and urban and rural areas, which have either persisted or widened. Pakistan’s inability to improve the health, education and economic outcomes of its people holds back the overall economy.
A nation without a base of skilled, healthy and productive workers is unlikely to attract investment or innovate the next game-changing technology. The around 23 million children who are out of school in Pakistan today are a valuable resource that we have failed to develop and, like it or not, our children are the only resource that we in Pakistan have. If long-term prosperity is our goal, our government has to come up with a targeted and coherent plan to improve health, education and overall welfare of our children.
JAMSHED SIDDIQUI
Lahore
They are special!
Pakistan has endured significant suffering during the war on terror. As a nation, we’re acutely aware of the devastating death toll resulting from this conflict. Equally distressing is the number of individuals who have become disabled due to various causes like IEDs, drone attacks and ground clearance. This war has dramatically altered the trajectory of life for these individuals. Despite their visible presence outside shopping malls, metro stations and nearly everywhere, they are often ignored as if they don’t exist.
It’s distressing to note that 71% of these individuals with disabilities are pushed into begging, with 55.7% of them hailing from Punjab. The majority of them face physical handicaps. Moreover, there’s a higher number of males with disabilities than females, both in rural and urban areas of our country. In 2002, the National Plan of Action (NPA) proposed measures to implement short and long-term policies for individuals with disabilities, but unfortunately, these efforts have not yielded significant results. Instead, the number of individuals with disabilities continues to rise while their stake as citizens of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan diminishes.
My question is this, these are the people who cannot afford a basic meal and this misdirected policy acts as salt on their wounds. Why are these esteemed individuals not given Health Cards ahead of others? Why has the state always kept these people on the low? What actions have NGOs, operating in our country, taken? Why can’t these non-profit organizations align their efforts with the government? Could a collective effort bring about positive changes in the lives of these individuals who, I reiterate, are citizens of this country?
HASAN YASEEN MIRZA
Islamabad
