Pakistan: Defying the Odds - Spearhead Research

Pakistan: Defying the Odds

Pakistan: Defying the odds

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The road traffic in a country is a

good barometer of its level of

discipline, education and

mannerisms. There was a time

when smartly turned out traffic

cops and motor-bike riding

sergeants manned the roads of

Pakistan and traffic rules were followed and implemented. This was when traffic

signals worked and people respected the laws and everyone was expected to

abide by them. Gradually, like other spheres of life in Pakistan, the traffic

deteriorated into a morass of chaos and dysfunctionality. With total and utter

disregard of rules, regulations and common courtesy the roads have turned into

a lethal maze that we are expected to navigate through each and every day. Today

we are faced with snarling and cursing motorists full of road-rage; heavily laden

motor-cyclists verging on lunacy weaving through traffic; and, a host of other

inhabitants and contraptions creating impossible traffic scenarios. There is hardly

any semblance of order or courtesy as regulations appear to be there for flouting,

as plump ill-clad and scruffy

looking traffic wardens sit under

the trees chatting on their cell

phones, while watching the

shenanigans on the roads.

Occasionally, they can be seen

harassing some motor cycle rider

or the owner of a small Suzuki Mehran. I have yet to see a warden stop a Prado

with an armed guard laden Hi-Lux in tow. Just as the roads appear to be a lawless

jungle devoid of governance or order, the governance structure of the country

too appears to have fallen apart in every institutional facet. On top of it just as we

have handed over our lives to ill-trained and uneducated drivers who navigate the


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traffic contributing to an already impossible situation, while we sit snugly in the

air-conditioned back-seats of our cars oblivious to the chaos on the roads, we

have handed over our destiny to a majority of illiterate and uncouth elected

representatives, who are at best good for the evening barking bouts on television.

The issue with Pakistan appears to be

two-fold: On the one hand pity

appears to have taken precedence

over regulations, and this has led to

the gradual erosion and lack of

implementation of laws. On the

other hand, power appears to have taken precedence over regulations leading to

the violation of laws with relative impunity. Both these issues have resulted in the

destruction of the rules of governance and here we are faced with a dismal

situation that has broken down the norms and turned us into a jungle with a mob

of people moving around like senseless zombies oblivious of our obligations and

the laws of governance. The recent actions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan have

helped restore some semblance of

confidence to an ailing system and one

hopes that there will be a trickle-down

effect and things will gradually start to

improve as State institutions regain

their confidence and start the uphill

task of real and objective governance.

The decline in across the board standards is evident if one looks at the ranking of

Pakistan on certain key parameters across different dimensions. It is all very well

for us to think that the world revolves around Pakistan, but reality is different and

needs to be understood so that appropriate measures can be adopted to address

the issues and improve the standing in the comity of nations. Perhaps it is time

for a stock check by reviewing the fact sheet for Pakistan. There are a number of


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institutions and organisations that prepare global rankings of countries based on

different aspects such as Social, Political, Economic, and Military, which help to

evaluate where the country stands relative to its peers. This data has been used

to develop a fact sheet for Pakistan to evaluate its current standing.


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Pakistan Fact Sheet

Source: CIA World Fact Book, UNDP, World Bank, EIU, ADB

Category

Pakistan

Ranking

Total

Countries

Mid-

Point Trend

Geographic

Total Population 7 238 119 High

Total Area 36 257 129 High

Population Growth Rate 81 235 118 High

Healthcare

Progress Towards SDG 149 188 94 Low

Health System 122 190 95 Low

Hospital Beds per 1000 170 190 95 Low

Maternal Mortality 44 184 92 High

Infant Mortality 26 225 113 High

Life Expectancy 167 224 112 Low

Health Expenditure 187 192 96 Low

Global Hunger Index 107 118 59 High

Education

Education Expenditure 164 173 87 Low

Human Development Index 147 188 94 Low

Economy

Exports 66 224 112 High

Imports 55 223 112 High

Economic Freedom 141 186 93 Low

Public Debt 48 190 95 High

External Debt 59 206 103 High

Current Account Deficit 161 199 100 High

Foreign Exchange Reserves 57 172 86 High

Foreign Direct Investment 63 128 64 Medium

Military Spending 21 132 66 High

Budget Deficit 142 220 110 High

Unemployment 75 208 104 Medium

GDP (Nominal) Per Capita 173 216 108 Low

GDP PPP 26 229 115 High

GDP Real Growth 44 225 113 High

GDP Per Capita 171 230 115 Low

Gross National Savings 121 181 91 Low

Taxes and Other Revenues 195 220 110 Low

Competitiveness Index 128 138 69 Low

Power

Electricity Production 34 221 111 High

Electricity Consumption 35 220 110 High

Installed Generating Capacity 36 215 108 High


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e5 The Fact Sheet and the individual rankings are a good representation of the state

of affairs in the country. It is relevant to note that Pakistan is in the red on most

rankings, and needs considerable improvement. It is a fact that Pakistan is the

36th largest country in terms of land and sea area, but at the same time it has the

7th largest population in the world with a high growth rate. An estimated 54% of

the population is below the age of 24 years, and the urbanization rate is 39%. The

rapidly increasing population pressure is a considerable drag on the meagre

resources of the country, which is hampering meaningful development from

materializing. The relatively younger population requires opportunities for

growth, which are restricted at the moment, but expected to improve if the CPEC


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initiative gathers momentum and is leveraged to exploit the potential

opportunities.

Two major indicators of the

social development in a country

are the standard and quality of

the Healthcare and Educational

systems. Unfortunately, Pakistan

performs dismally on both with

inadequate and sub-standard

health and education facilities. As a result of this the other factors in the economy

are negatively impacted as the Human Resource quality is under strain both in

terms of physical and mental characteristics. Pakistan is ranked 149th out of 188

countries in the first global assessment of countries’ progress towards the United

Nations’ health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and, in the World

Health Organization’s ranking of the world’s health systems Pakistan it is 122nd

out of 190 countries. These are grounds for serious concern. As many as 12 million

children in Pakistan suffer from stunted growth, as per a World Bank study titled:

‘Pakistan Development Update’. At 44%, Pakistan has the third highest rate of

stunting in the world.

Pakistan ranks a dismal 170th

out of 190 countries on

hospital beds per 1000

people and is ranked among

the 10 countries (out of 194)

where 60% of the world’s 5.9

Million children die before

their fifth birthday due to

complications from

premature birth and pneumonia, according to researchers from the Johns


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Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the London School of Hygiene and

Tropical Medicine and the World Health Organisation.

The rankings on maternal mortality, infant mortality, and life expectancy reflect

the low level of healthcare expenditure, placing Pakistan at 187th out of 192

countries and with a ratio of one

doctor per 1,038 persons, and

one dentist for 11,513 persons,

things are abysmal.

In terms of education, 9% (24

million) of the world’s 263

million out-of-school children,

adolescents and youth, are located in Pakistan. The country ranked a lowly 164th

on Education expenditure at 2.7% of GDP out of 173 countries and no educational

institution was listed among the top 500 Universities in the World. This is

reflected in the low Competiveness ranking and the low Human Development

Index for Pakistan.

Pakistan is ranked as the 26th most water-stressed country, where 35% of the

population lacks access to safe water. By 2025, the population is expected to cross

250 million, reducing Pakistan’s per capita annual availability of water to 660

cubic meters. In a recent study by Mercer measuring quality of living standards

three cities from Pakistan made to the list from among 230 countries.

Unfortunately, at positions 193, 199 and 202, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi

feature very low on the list,

which is topped by the

Austrian capital Vienna. In

another study by the German

watch’s Global Climate Risk

Index 2017 Pakistan was


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ranked 7th among countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. The

study also postulated that:

Pakistan was ranked among 10 countries where most urban residents

lacked access to proper sanitation.

Pakistan ranked towards the bottom in infant and neonatal mortality.

(UNICEF)

Around 50 Million people in the country had various psychological

problems (WHO) but, the country had only 320 psychiatrists and only five

psychiatric hospitals.

Pakistan continues to be affected by endemic transmission of wild

poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) with 20 cases reported in 2016.

On the economic front the

country continues to grapple

with falling exports, rising

imports, low FDI, low

remittances, and high levels

of debt and deficits. The lack

of proper social

development and adequate opportunities continue to erode the competitiveness

of Pakistan and restrict the development of human capital. Unless the

government is able to expand its revenue generation capacity and improve the

inflows, Pakistan is likely to face tougher conditions in the future. The young

population base needs to be harnessed and converted into an engine of growth.

The myopic focus on self-preservation and power by the ruling elite has to be

replaced by a mind-set of equality and equal opportunities for all with genuine

reforms geared towards real development.


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Pakistan has completed 70 years of independence and it is time to take stock of

where we stand as a Nation. Do we want to lag the world on all fronts or do we

capitalize on our strengths and become a meaningful contributor to the Global

arena? Pakistan has exhibited tremendous resilience over the years in the face of

often daunting odds. There are social, economic and political dysfunctionalities

but there are state institutions that are still holding their own and functioning as

they should. Pakistan is the only Islamic state with nuclear capability which is a

tribute to the tenacity of this young state. Moving forward, Pakistan has to deal

with the many challenges facing the

country, which range from insecure

borders to the challenge posed by

hardline Islamic militant groups. The

country has been burdened with

excessive debt and high visibility

infra-structure projects, while a third

of its citizens survive below the poverty line. Pakistan continues to defy the odds.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Army have vowed to uphold the

Constitution of Pakistan and one hopes that this would ensure the continuation

of democracy and the strengthening of the state institutions. It is imperative for

Pakistan to improve its social sectors to ensure that it can strengthen its Human

resource capability and capacity and thus enhance its competitiveness. This

should be the core focus of this and future governments as we move forward.

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Pakistan: Defying the Odds - Spearhead Research