Table of Contents

1. Pakistan’s Outlook: ..................................................................................................................... 5

Defense: .......................................................................................................................................... 5
Government: ................................................................................................................................... 7
Economic challenges:....................................................................................................................... 8
Political leadership crisis: ................................................................................................................. 8
Institutional disarrays: ..................................................................................................................... 8
Federal: ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Punjab: .......................................................................................................................................... 16
Sindh: ............................................................................................................................................ 16
Baluchistan: ................................................................................................................................... 18
KPK ................................................................................................................................................ 18
2. Challenges & Reforms ............................................................................................................... 19
1. Reform of the legal and judicial systems:................................................................................ 19
2. Civil-Judicial-Military challenge:.............................................................................................. 21
3. Social structure and democracy in Pakistan ............................................................................ 22
4. FBR Reforms .......................................................................................................................... 24
5. Amending NAB Law ................................................................................................................ 24
6. Gas Price Reform.................................................................................................................... 25
7. Madrassah Reforms ............................................................................................................... 26
8. Police Reforms ....................................................................................................................... 27
9. Terms of IMF program............................................................................................................ 28
3. SGDs (Sustainable Development Goals) .................................................................................... 30
4. Constitution: ............................................................................................................................. 33
5. Terrorism................................................................................................................................... 40
1. The militant threat: International ........................................................................................... 40
2. Need to Review Security Paradigm: ........................................................................................ 41
6. National Action Plan: ................................................................................................................ 46
7. Social Programs: ........................................................................................................................ 47
8. Highlighted Cases and the Judiciary: ......................................................................................... 48
 1. shootout case in Sahiwal ........................................................................................................ 48
2. Army Chief Extension Case: .................................................................................................... 48
3. Gen Musharraf Case: .............................................................................................................. 50
4. Nawaz’s treatment Case:........................................................................................................ 51
5. Awards for Judges: ................................................................................................................. 52
6. Judiciary remained controversial: ........................................................................................... 52
9. Accountability: .......................................................................................................................... 54
1. Accountability in question: ..................................................................................................... 54
2. Lopsided Accountability: ........................................................................................................ 55
3. Earnings of hostility: ............................................................................................................... 55
4. A-Class Accountability: ........................................................................................................... 56
5. Restraining NAB: .................................................................................................................... 57
6. Cases against Opposition:....................................................................................................... 58
10. Economy of Pakistan: ................................................................................................................ 62
1. Financial Outlook: .................................................................................................................. 62
2. Asia, Pacific Economic Growth:............................................................................................... 63
3. Restoring Economy: ............................................................................................................... 64
4. Economic Turnaround: ........................................................................................................... 65
5. Pakistan improves ranking:..................................................................................................... 67
6. Inflation rebasing: .................................................................................................................. 68
7. Protecting the Poor: ............................................................................................................... 68
8. FATF Challenge & economy: ................................................................................................... 69
9. Managing security & economy: .............................................................................................. 70
10.Vote of Confidence From IMF: .................................................................................................. 72
11.Growing Tax Collection and its Target: ...................................................................................... 73
11. Business Sector in Pakistan: ...................................................................................................... 74
1. Business ease in Pakistan: ...................................................................................................... 74
2. State of SMEs in Pakistan: ...................................................................................................... 75
3. E-commerce in Pakistan: ........................................................................................................ 77
12. Poverty Eradication in Pakistan: ................................................................................................ 80
13. Education in Pakistan: ............................................................................................................... 82
1. Overview of Education System in Pakistan: ............................................................................ 82
 2. Educational Institutions and enrollment: ................................................................................ 84
3. Literacy rate: .......................................................................................................................... 87
4. Expenditure on Education: ..................................................................................................... 87
5. State of Education in Pakistan: ............................................................................................... 88
6. Educational Issues: ................................................................................................................. 88
7. Educational Reforms: ............................................................................................................. 93
8. Education For Growth: ........................................................................................................... 94
14. Health in Pakistan: .................................................................................................................... 96
1. Overview of Health: ............................................................................................................... 96
2. Health Status: ........................................................................................................................ 96
3. Harmful Diseases: .................................................................................................................. 97
4. Health Initiatives by Government: ........................................................................................ 108
5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 110
15. Media and Freedom of Speech:............................................................................................... 111
1. Freedom of Speech: ............................................................................................................. 111
2. Accountability: ..................................................................................................................... 111
3. Women Harassment in Journalism: ...................................................................................... 112
4. Online Surveillance:.............................................................................................................. 113
5. Pemra: ................................................................................................................................. 113
6. Online Censorship: ............................................................................................................... 114
16. Human Rights and Humanity:.................................................................................................. 115
1. National Commission for Human Rights: .............................................................................. 115
2. Human Rights Violations in Pakistan:.................................................................................... 116
3. Human Rights Violations in World: ....................................................................................... 140
17. Climate Change: ...................................................................................................................... 145
1. Climate Change: A Serious Threat to The World: .................................................................. 145
2. Climate Emergency: ............................................................................................................. 150
3. Climate Change: Time to Panic?: .......................................................................................... 152
4. Smog Another Environmental Challenge: ............................................................................. 152
5. Climate Change to Increase Flood Risk in Pakistan: ............................................................... 154
6. Climate Change and Earthquake Crisis:................................................................................. 155
7. Impact of Climate Change on the Hindu Kush: ...................................................................... 156
 8. Wildlife conservation: .......................................................................................................... 158
9. How Land Use Impacts Our Climate:..................................................................................... 158
10. Top polluters:......................................................................................................................... 160
11. A plastic World:...................................................................................................................... 160
12. Clean Green Pakistan Initiative: .............................................................................................. 162
13. Kyoto Protocol: ...................................................................................................................... 162
14. Government’s efforts towards Climate Change: ..................................................................... 163
15. Paris Agreement 2015: ........................................................................................................... 163
18. Tourism: .................................................................................................................................. 166
Pakistan as new global tourism player ......................................................................................... 166
19. Population:.............................................................................................................................. 168
20. Urbanization: .......................................................................................................................... 172
21. Water Crisis: ............................................................................................................................ 174
22. Energy Crisis: ........................................................................................................................... 176
1. Pakistan’s Outlook:
1. Henley Passport Index, the Pakistani passport was fifth from the bottom in the
respect it received. The country was not in good company: the bottom five
included, in addition to Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
2. All is going to end but there is still the nervous thrill of waiting to see which dark
force will take us down. Will the economy collapse first, the ice sheets melt first,
or chaos and war envelop us first?
3. The United States and China go to war as becoming the world’s largest economy
because when a power that is rising challenges the power that has remained at
the top, the result inevitably is military conflict like the rise of Athens that led to a
war with Sparta centuries ago.
4. The country’s youth — those below the age of 30 numbering 125 million — voted
overwhelmingly to install in power a new kind of politician and a new kind of
political party.

Defense:
1. Indo-Pak traditional rivalry continues at present where Kashmir, left as an
unfinished agenda of partition, seeded the beginnings of conflict that is
persevering under Indian hegemonic designs, even now.
 Pakistan moved for settlement through the UNSC in February and May
1964, however, threat of a USSR veto caused unsuccessful actions.
 The USA offered Pakistan assistance in the form of entry into SEATO
(1954), CENTO (1955) and Bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement
(1959). US helped Pakistan militarily on the conditions that the equipment
provided will be not be used against non-communist countries but
following Rann of Kutch episode, USA first reduced and later stopped
Pakistan’s aid during 1965 war.
 After the Sino-Indian War of 1962, United States became more closely
associated with India by providing it military and economic aid. Pakistan
launched Operation Gibraltar and Grand Slam to free Kashmir militarily
but India waged a full-scale military attack on Pakistan in September
1965.
  Now India and Pakistan have become nuclear powers, both cannot afford
to go for any kind of war.
2. Why has Pakistan miserably failed to replicate nuclear technological feat in other
fields?
 The US, China, Russia, France and the UK, all permanent members of the
UN Security Council, were officially declared nuclear states before
Pakistan and India laid their claims in 1998. North Korea also joined the
race later. But except Pakistan and North Korea, all other countries having
nuclear weapons are in the list of top 20 leading exporters of the world.
 India is now fast becoming a global economic power because of the
reforms. India’s flourishing economy and trade ties with outside world
have considerably enhanced its political clout at the global level.
 How and why does a country that has been able to acquire the most
sophisticated weaponry struggle to emulate the same in other areas? The
absence of technological advancement in other spheres of life is the main
reason behind Pakistan’s faltering economy.
 One key factor that helped Pakistan become a nuclear state is that despite
international pressure and US sanctions, every government and institution
owned the nuclear programme. That ownership certainly is lacking when it
comes to challenges on the economic and political fronts. Every new
government blames its predecessor for the precipice. The end result of
this blame game is that we are moving in a vicious cycle where no one is
ready to own up the problems.
 Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence may have prevented India from launching a
full- scale war following the Pulwama attack but this alone will not
guarantee our survival. The former Soviet Union is a prime example.
Ultimately, it is the country’s economic progress that can ensure its
survival. In fact, economic and political instability can make our nuclear
programme vulnerable in the eyes of powerful countries.
 Therefore, Pakistan needs to show the same determination — as it has
shown for decades for the nuclear programme — to bring the country on a
 par with other nuclear states as far as economic prosperity and political
stability are concerned.
3. Unsung heroes of bomb disposal squad who have inadequate resources and
safety equipment at their disposal, often using their bare hands to defuse a bomb
or remove a suicide vest from a young boy’s body. Giving a human face to these
often nameless members of the Pakistani police fraternity.
4. An argument has ever been made that Pakistan spends too much on defence,
and that its developmental and social service delivery priorities have suffered as
result.
 In response, the argument has been advanced that Pakistan faces a far
larger adversary that spends much more on enhancing its military
capabilities, and even though our allocations seem large when viewed as
a proportion of GDP, they are small by comparison to the scale of the
threat the country faces.
 What complicates the picture are those parts of the budget that are spent
by the defence establishment but are declared under civilian heads,
i. Public Sector Development Programme, or
ii. The separate allocation for military pensions
iii. Military procurement and expenditures for the war against terrorism
remain opaque.
 So large amounts of defence allocations are not captured in the figure for
the defence budget, where nearly half of the figure is meant for salaries.
 Theme of reform and begin with, our understanding of defence allocations
can benefit from greater transparency and disclosure.

Government:
 Pakistan is undergone to confront some underpinning challenges but not
hopeless, we have the energy and uncompromising resolve of rebuilding this
nation and have the capacity to rise phoenix-like from the ashes. The remaking
of Pakistan into a welfare state is certainly a mammoth challenge but not
impossible.
  A welfare state is a state that is rightly meant for the welfare of the people.
It could be in terms of money or services. Cash payments, subsidies,
concessions, grants and public distribution, and a state whose social
justice system is unquestionable.
 A paragon model for the welfare state system historically, rests with the
State of Medina founded by the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) PM Khan’s
reform manifesto is encouraging yet it requires a resourceful strategy and
political unity to confront the economic, political and institutional
challenges.

Economic challenges:
 Increase in debt, increase in import and decrease in export, low savings, lower
investment, low tax collection- all these ills accompanied by lack of policy
implementation.
 Scandinavian welfare states collect a large proportion of their GDP in taxes.
o Norway collects 38pc, Denmark about 45pc, and Sweden about 44pc.
 Pakistan only receives 12pc of GDP in taxes. After recent tax reforms the top
marginal tax rate is just 15pc.
 Our international reserves have to rise, and the fiscal deficit has to come down.
IMF‘s current bailout package is not a permanent solution. China, Saudi Arabia,
Qatar, South Korea, and Malaysia are interested to invest in Pakistan.
Establishment of the CPEC Authority is core to the future of this mega project.

Political leadership crisis:

 DNA of premature democracy in Pakistan much needs to reform in terms of land
reform and electoral reform.
 Urbanization reforms and democracy within the political parties without fulfilling
this objective, it seems impossible that we may change our political culture.

Institutional disarrays:
 Institutional crisis is core to the ailments that we inherit from colonialism.
 Major causes of disarrays
 i. Politicization of the civil service resulted in institutions monitored by
unqualified political appointees.
ii. Strong legacy of undemocratic rule which degraded civilian tools of
governance
iii. Institutional dependencies on donor organizations which constrain to craft
long-term policies
iv. Lack of revenue because of woefully low tax base
v. Political class’s insufficient interest in improving the public welfare
vi. Absolute neglect of institutions and needed governance reforms in health,
education and justice system.
 Institutional inefficiencies always paved the way for the military establishment to
fill the flaws as becoming an emergency healer.
 A good civil-military relationship is pivotal to future stability.
 Pakistan is truly blessed with multiple riches;
i. Its painstaking people,
ii. Unprecedented geography and natural resources,
iii. Impeachable defence which is unbeatable because of its professionally
most capable armed forces.
 Sustainable approach tested by all variables is required in order to foster
economic egalitarianism, political stability, institutional efficacy and balance in
Pakistan.
 Federal:
 Total Budget federal budget outlay is estimated 8238b
o Tax Revenue 5822b with direct taxes of 2082b
Budget 2019-20 with Comparison to 2018-19
Sr. No. Classification 2018-19 (Revised) 2019-20
1 Total Budget Outlay/Total Budget Expenses 6409 B 8238 B
2 Revenues/Resources Available 5267 B 7932 B
3 Budget Deficit
4 Tax Revenue 4394 B 5822 B
5 Non Tax Revenue 638 B 894 B
6 Direct Taxes 1659 B 2082 B
7 Total External Loans 1353 B 2991 B
8 Markup on Foreign Debt 306 B 360 B
9 Public Debt 794 B 583 B
i- Floating Debt (Prize Bonds & T-Bills) 169 B 371 B
10 Pension 342 B 421 B
i- Military 260 B 327 B
ii- Civil 82 B 94 B
11 Foreign Loan Repayments 929 B 1095 B
12 Environment Protection 1271 m 470 m
Waste Water Management only
13 Health Affairs 14 B 11 B
i- Public Health Service 465 m 463 m
14 Education 97 B 77 B
i- Pre-Primary & Primary 10 B 3B
ii- Secondary Education 12 B 7B
iii- Tertiary Education (Universities, Technical etc.) 72 B 65 B
15 Defense Affairs 1138 B 1153 B
16 Economic Affairs 142 B 84 B
17 Total Subsidies (to alleviate the impact of inflation on poor class) 255 B 272 B
18 Special Grants 28 B 86 B
i- Punjab 1900 m -
ii- Sindh 16 B 20.4 B
iii- KPK (Including FATA) 160 m 56 B
iv- Balochistan 10 B 10 B
19 Total Grants 478 B 831 B
20 Public Sector Development Programs (PSDP) 1200 B 1613 B
(For improvement of Socio-economic conditions of country)
21 Development other than PSDP 163 B 86 B
29 programs including BISP, agriculture, Industry and other govt. programs

22 Social Protection 3B 191 B

 PTI had alleged that the illegal transfer of millions of dollars to accounts
belonging to those working with the PTI had taken place.
 There is never a dull moment in Pakistan’s politics. Although the saga around the
reappointment/ tenure extension of the army chief is over for but another
administrative crisis looms. The appointment of chief election commissioner
rendered the currently incomplete Election Commission of Pakistan, which is
already short of two members who retired in January, dysfunctional.
o When ECP positions fall vacant, the Constitution requires they be filled
within 45 days. This condition has not been met in the case of the
vacancies created after the retirement of members from Sindh and
Balochistan because of a hostile relationship between the government and
the opposition parties.
o In case of lack of consensus, they must send three names each to a 12-
member parliamentary committee for decision. But the Constitution is
silent on how to proceed in case of a tie in the parliamentary committee.
 Is a dharna ever an advisable course of action to bring down a government that
has come to power through the electoral process?
o The Supreme Court’s Faizabad dharna judgement rightly declared: “The
right of assembly is recognised as a right to preserve the democratic
order, but it cannot be used to overthrow a lawful government.” The
political parties must take their battle off the streets and into parliament,
and bolster this country’s perennially fragile democracy.
 We have not learnt from our wild history of nationalist movements.
o The two independent legislators from North and South Waziristan, who
are affiliated with the PTM, had been arrested for their alleged
involvement in two separate incidents. One was the deadly May 26 clash
between military personnel and PTM activists at the Kharqamar check
post that resulted in 13 deaths, and the other an IED blast in which four
army officials were martyred. On Sept 18, an anti-terrorism court in Bannu
granted bail to Mr Wazir and Mr Dawar in the second case, enabling them
to participate in parliamentary proceedings.
 o Several cabinet members made it clear in a number of ways that they
considered the two legislators to be traitors, and demanded proof of their
loyalty to Pakistan in return for the government negotiating with them.
o Parliament offers a platform where its members can disagree, even
disagree strongly, with each other on important issues that concern the
people they represent. However, to use it to accuse fellow legislators of
treachery is an abuse of that privilege; indeed, such allegations undermine
the very purpose of the institution. As both are elected by the people of
Waziristan to represent them.
o What can be achieved by that, except to further alienate a people who
after decades of a terrible, devastating conflict in their native areas, have
been brought into the constitutional fold for the first time in Pakistan’s
history?
o The prime minister himself has conceded that the PTM’s demands are not
without merit. Consider how Bacha Khan, Attaullah Mengal and Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman, to name but a few, were declared traitors by a state
wishing to silence genuine grievances and suppress legitimate political
demands.
 Chief Justice Asif Khosa, in a stunning move, suspended the extension order on
the grounds of procedural anomalies, and the fact there is no provision in the
Army Regulations to support such an extension.
o Consider that four army chiefs have given themselves extensions while
two others were so favoured by the government of the time — but no one
thought to ask whether this was legal at all.
 The opposition has once again slammed the government over its preoccupation
with ruling by ordinances. In the latest instance, the opposition members were
up in arms in protest when four ordinances, promulgated by President Arif Alvi,
came before the Senate.
o The members duly referred to Article 89 of the Constitution which says the
president may promulgate an ordinance, except when the Senate or
 National Assembly are in session. The Article further says the ordinance
shall stand repealed at the expiration of 120 days from its promulgation.
 According to Justice Project Pakistan, there are approximately 11,000 Pakistani
citizens imprisoned in foreign countries. Out of these, the vast majority are in
the Middle East, with 3,400 trapped in Saudi Arabian prisons.
o There is evidence that the majority of foreign prisoners does not receive a
fair trial or get the right to adequate legal representation; and often judicial
proceedings are carried on in a language they don’t understand.
o Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman promised to release 2,107
Pakistani prisoners from Saudi jails.
 During Eidul Azha sacrifices in Pakistan industry figures from last year suggest
between 7m and 8m were sacrificed in the country — there is significant income
to be generated from hides and skins.
o People usually donate the hides to mosques, charitable institutions and
NGOs. But militants also look to cash in on this bonanza. Goat skins sell
for a few hundred rupees and cow hides go for over Rs1,000.
 Road accidents Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, there were 5,958 fatalities
throughout the country in 2017-18 — the highest in a decade — while another
14,489 others sustained injuries.
o Despite having comparatively better roads, highways and services, Punjab
had the highest fatalities at 3,371. This was followed by KP, which
recorded 1,295 deaths. Meanwhile, Sindh witnessed 802 deaths and
Balochistan 313.
o Edhi Foundation considered 2018 to be the worst year for road fatalities in
Karachi, with 797 deaths and 16,980 injuries documented.
 Housing was one of the PTI government’s election manifestos, setting an
ambitious target of constructing up to 5m low-cost homes that would cater to the
“poor, salaried class and government employees”.
o House will be financed by the private sector and commercial banks, and
built upon state land, the scheme promises to generate new savings for
investment and create employment in the country.
 o Previous governments have also attempted pushing for low-income
housing schemes, but not on such an ambitious size and scale.
 Total of 89 provincial and national members, and 10 senators, have declared in
their assets filed for the year 2018 their ownership of multiple prohibited and non-
prohibited weapons that include G- 3 battle rifles, submachine guns and
Kalashnikovs weapons worth millions of rupees for their ‘protection’, speaks
volumes for the state of security for the common man.
o As per a report by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, there were
around 44m legal and illegal civilian-owned weapons in Pakistan by the
end of 2017.
o The ownership of military-owned guns stood at 2.3m while weapons
owned by law-enforcement agencies numbered a paltry 944,000.
o Declared arms imports in the country, according to the Pakistan Bureau of
Statistics, was around Rs6m for the year 2018.
 One of the central issues in Pakistan’s political and constitutional development
has been the civil-military conflict. The judicial side of this civil-military conflict
has either been denied by contending that the judiciary has been the alleged ‘B
team’ of the military or, if acknowledged, the judicial-military conflict has been
perceived more as an aberration and less as an emerging trend.
o On one side, protection of democracy and a democratic constitution
guaranteed the tremendous power of the judiciary; on the other, the de
facto power of the military elite was fundamentally threatened by both
democracy and democratic constitutionalism.
o Structural contradiction between these state institutions coexisted with the
inherent weakness of a judiciary having no coercive power to protect itself
or implement its decisions. This gave rise to the paradox of both
continuing collusion and emerging dissent with the military elite.
o Justice Isa’s legal confrontation: The Faizabad dharna judgement,
contains a summary of what he thinks is wrong in Pakistan:
 Violation of citizens’ fundamental rights,
 Illegal tactics used to achieve political agendas,
  Lack of security mechanisms to protect citizens,
 Violation of their constitutional role by the military and intelligence
agencies,
 Violation of media independence and inaction of Pemra,
 The weak role of the Election Commission and
 The misuse of Islam.
o This judgment makes two key points.
 Firstly, it contains a stringent critique of the militarisation of politics
and civilian affairs due to the recent alleged unconstitutional role of
the military elite especially the intelligence agencies.
 Secondly, far-reaching policy directions are issued on sensitive
issues such as the regulation of intelligence agencies and initiation
of action against armed forces’ interference in political and civilian
matters.
o These directions are based on the untested liberal beliefs that the law and
Constitution can on their own restrain the tremendous de facto power of
the security elite and such judicial directions controlling de facto military
power will be implemented without the need to use force as the judiciary
has no coercive powers of its own to implement.
o Chief Justice Khosa’s dialogical approach to problems of institutional
conflict especially the civil-military conflict. Such an out-of-the-box
approach has four distinct elements.
 Firstly, there is the need for an inter-institutional dialogue at the
summit level to be arranged and chaired by the president of
Pakistan. This is based on the premise that there is nothing in the
separation-of-power doctrine which “demands institutional isolation
or forbids collective efforts to achieve the common good”.
 Secondly, such a summit should be attended by the top
parliamentary, judicial and executive leadership including the
military and the intelligence agencies.
  Thirdly, the result of this exercise will be a “charter of governance”
so as to ensure that we don’t “keep drifting or floating aimlessly”.
 Fourthly, the underlying purpose of this inter-institutional dialogue is
to strengthen constitutionalism and the rule of law, strengthen
democracy and create conditions for inter-institutional working
towards the “real issues of the citizens of this great country”.
o To put it differently, such a dialogical approach is rooted in legal realism,
which realises the destructiveness of an all-out institutional conflict
between different state organs as well as the need for dialogue in order to
ensure judicial independence, constitutional democracy, human rights and
effective state authority.

Punjab:
 Administrative and Governance Issues.
o Fifth IGP for privileged Punjab and half a dozen higher education
secretaries have come and gone so far.
o Every other day, a district police officer or some other senior police official
is given his marching orders and told to take charge of law and order in
another area, leading to inconsistency and inefficiency.
o Administrative ranks are rooted in the insecurity not only in Punjab but
elsewhere too.
o Rulers tend to blame their bureaucratic teams for the challenges they
face, and all these reshuffles demonstrate a clear escape route.
o Government has not overcome the fear of being disillusioned by pro-PML-
N officers.

Sindh:
 Karachi’s public transport system has collapsed.
o Some private players have moved in to fill the gaps, such as ride-hailing
apps (which are expensive) while app-based van services have also rolled
out their fleets in the metropolis.
 o As reported in this paper, the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank has approved a $71m loan for the Red Line Bus Rapid
Transit Project. The deadline for the project has been mentioned as
December 2023.
o Federally funded under-construction Green Line project wasstarted in
2016 and still awaits completion.
 Over the past few years, the law-and-order situation in Karachi appears to have
improved drastically. When compared to its blood-soaked past.
o Certain crimes seem to be on the rise again, according to new data
released by the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee:
 18 people were murdered across the city in targeted killings or
during armed robberies in a month.
 In the same period, 163 vehicles were stolen, out of which 26 were
snatched at gunpoint.
 Meanwhile, 2,806 motorcycles were reported as stolen, including
147 that were taken through armed encounters.
o PTI worker named Muhammad Asif was killed as he was heading home
from a mosque in Azizabad, when armed assailants fired upon him.
Towards the end of the previous year, prominent MQM politician Ali Raza
Abidi was shot dead inside his car as he tried to enter his house in
Karachi’s Defence area. This was then followed by a spate of killings that
targeted members of minority communities and various professionals.
 Despite being Pakistan’s largest city and its financial heart, Karachi has no
unified command structure to address its infrastructural and civic needs. The
MQM-dominated Karachi administration argues, correctly, that the KMC’s core
functions — such as water, sewage and collection of solid waste — and revenue-
generating departments have been usurped by the PPP’s provincial government
through the 2013 local government law.
o It is also worth recalling, when the MQM had undisputed control in
Karachi, it served its own interests. The party was the driving force behind
 the ‘china cutting’ which swallowed up parks, amenity plots etc and buried
them under shopping malls and residential housing.
 The budget has announced a salary increase of 15pc for government
employees, larger than what its counterpart Punjab has granted.
o Sindh government allocated Rs284.5 billion for provincial Annual
Development Plan (ADP) for next fiscal (2019-20) against Rs343.9bn
budget estimates.
o The budget has announced a salary increase of 15pc for government
employees, larger than what its counterpart Punjab has granted.

Baluchistan:
 Budget of Rs419.9bn for the next fiscal year reflects a desire to move things in
the direction of better management.

KPK
 The provincial budget has set aside a sum of Rs319bn for development across
KP, including Rs83bn for the merged tribal districts.
i. The development outlay is 35pc of the total expected provincial income of
Rs900bn, and almost 12pc bigger than the planned development
spending of Sindh and just 8pc smaller than that of Punjab.
2. Challenges & Reforms
1. Reform of the legal and judicial systems:
 As the final arbiter of the law and guardian of fundamental rights, the judicial
system has a critical role to play in a nation’s trajectory.
 For instance, less than a decade after partition, the judgement in the Maulvi
Tamizuddin Khan case ratified the governor general’s dismissal of the first
constituent assembly. That fateful verdict gave birth to the infamous ‘doctrine of
necessity’ which has echoed through Pakistan’s turbulent history and hobbled
democracy time and again. Another stain on the judiciary’s record is the death
sentence handed down to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, often denounced as a ‘judicial
murder’ for being based on overt political expediency rather than evidence.
 These are but two of several instances where our courts unfortunately chose to
be on the wrong side of history. Then again, more recently, the same institution
has also delivered landmark verdicts that have upheld the highest principles of
humanity, such as the acquittal of Aasia Bibi — that too in the face of a certain
and violent backlash from the ultra-right. The Faizabad dharna judgement,
meanwhile, reaffirmed the supremacy of civilian rule and clearly defined
institutional boundaries.
 Such verdicts reassert the rule of law and strengthen democracy. However,
progress has been patchy, stymied now and again by hyper judicial activism that
has breached institutional boundaries, thereby weakening the democratic
process.
 For a judicial system to function optimally, it needs a sufficient number of judges.
The judiciary and the judicial system are the foundation upon which the whole
structure of the ‘rule of law’ is built.
i. There are approximately 4,000 judges in Pakistan serving a population of
approximately 217 million with approximately 1.9 million undisposed of
cases in Pakistan.
ii. With its properly-funded and reformed judicial system, we can improve the
international outlook of the country as Pakistan with its underfunded and
 unreformed judicial system is near the bottom ranked at 117 out of 126
countries by the index.
iii. In addition to increasing the number of judges on the bench, key change is
the complete overhaul of the civil and criminal procedural rules. The
importance of having procedural rules that promote efficiency, fairness
and speed in litigation.
iv. The Pakistani civil procedural rules and their criminal counterparts are
over 100 years old. Law, the common law needs to be able to adapt to
changing times and to reflect and shape, as the case may require, the
prevailing social norms and attitudes. Procedural rules designed by a
colonial power for an economic and social environment that has changed
long ago and no longer be fit for purpose.
v. A modern Pakistan requires modern procedural rules for its court system.
It is recognised that over the years new procedural tools have been
incorporated. However, these are add-ons to the existing structure rather
than a comprehensive re-thinking of the rules and their approach.
vi. Simply making amendments to the existing rules is insufficient. A
comprehensively re-imagined set of new civil and criminal procedural rules
could transform the whole judicial system, making the whole process far
quicker, fairer and easier to understand for non-lawyers. This is something
that could be done relatively cheaply and quickly.
 There are approximately 3,000 judicial roles in England & Wales serving a
population of approximately 56 million. The Law Society estimates that the total
value of legal services to the UK economy in 2016 was £25.7 billion, of which
about £4.1 billion was made up of exports, helping the UK balance of payments.
UK is near the top of the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2019, being
ranked at 12 out of 126 countries.
 The government should give greater consideration to the social, international and
economic benefits that can be derived from the judicial system. A properly-
reformed judicial system will be better placed to play its role in promoting
economic growth and protecting the rights of citizens.
2. Civil-Judicial-Military challenge:
 One of the central issues in Pakistan’s political and constitutional development
has been the civil-military conflict. The judicial side of this civil-military conflict
has either been denied by contending that the judiciary has been the alleged ‘B
team’ of the military or, if acknowledged, the judicial-military conflict has been
perceived more as an aberration and less as an emerging trend.
 There’s a need for an inter-institutional dialogue to ensure judicial independence
& constitutional democracy.
 Protection of democracy and a democratic constitution guaranteed the
tremendous power of the judiciary.
 The contradiction coexisted with the inherent weakness of a judiciary having no
coercive power to protect itself or implement its decisions. This gave rise to the
paradox continuing collusion and emerging dissent with the military elite.
 Chief Justice Khosa’s proposed a dialogical approach:
 Indigenous approach to problems of institutional conflict especially the civil-
military conflict. Such an out-of-the-box approach has four distinct elements.
i. Firstly, there is the need for an inter-institutional dialogue at the summit
level to be convened and chaired by the president of Pakistan. This is
based on the premise that there is nothing in the separation-of-power
doctrine which “demands institutional isolation or forbids collective efforts
to achieve the common good”.
ii. Secondly, such a summit should be attended by the top parliamentary,
judicial and executive leadership including the military and the intelligence
agencies.
iii. Thirdly, the result of this exercise will be a “charter of governance” so as to
ensure that we don’t “keep drifting or floating aimlessly”.
iv. Fourthly, the underlying purpose of this inter-institutional dialogue is to
bolster constitutionalism and the rule of law, strengthen democracy and
create conditions for inter-institutional working towards the “real issues of
the citizens of this great country”.
 There is a need to realize the destructiveness of an all-out institutional conflict
between different state organs as well as the need for dialogue in order to ensure
judicial independence, constitutional democracy, human rights and effective state
authority.

3. Social structure and democracy in Pakistan

 After more than 70 years of existence and around 17 years of continuous rule by
elected governments, Pakistan could not attain the desirable levels of political
stability and economic growth.
 The political and economic situation in the country currently has become so
adverse that nothing could be forecast with certainty about the future of the
present government.
 The reason for lack of political and economic stability in Pakistan and the
resultant social disorder has been that democracy as a culture and institution has
failed to flourish and evolve in the country.
 Many factors have been responsible for the failure of democracy to evolve as an
institution in Pakistan. These factors need to be identified, analysed and
documented by the policymakers so that a sustainable political and economic
stability can be achieved.
 The foremost and underlying cause that a democratic culture has not evolved in
Pakistan has been the incompatibility between the social structure of the country
and the essence and values of a democratic culture.
 Our democratic culture primarily is based on the values of equality, equity,
justice, freedom and individualism (together creating a culture of merit,
inventiveness and amity) these values have hardly been prevalent in Pakistan’s
social structure.
 Pakistan’s social structure is profoundly and extensively tribal, ultraconservative
and thus anti-change.
 Such social structure is hierarchical in orientation which functions primarily on the
institutionalization and reverence of traditional figures of authorities like tribal,
clan chiefs and religious figures.
 Another very important aspect of the failure of democracy to evolve in Pakistan
is that the auxiliary institutions, which ought to provide support to Parliament,
people and political leadership to build their capacities of policymaking and their
execution by providing them education and information have been working at
cross purposes.
 These institutions which include the bureaucracy and all the government
departments, due to relatively good education and administrative skills have
been working for personal and institutional benefits by taking advantage of the
ignorance of the masses.
 This is the basic reason that bureaucrats and top civil servants have been
enjoying all kinds of perks and privileges out of the taxpayers’ money while
the very purpose of good governance remains a fantasy in the state of
Pakistan.
 Principally and ideally these state institutions must support democracy and more
importantly promote the values of democracy: equality, equity, justice and
freedom by ensuring good governance through transparency, accountability, rule
of law and participation. However, this ideal has been unachievable because the
parliamentary political system has reinforced the traditional and conservative
social structure instead of overcoming its shortcomings.
 For several decades, Pakistan has been experiencing dynastic rule by the Bhutto
and Sharif families. Surprisingly election 2018 ended the dynastic politics and
both families failed to regain power. Ironically these two families and historical
strong political rivals have developed consensus to regain political power by hook
or by crook.
 True democracy has not taken root in Pakistan. It has been hijacked by the
powerful personalities. In seven decades, we have only two democratic
transitions, in 2013-2018, when one elected party took over from another political
party (PML- N, PTI).
 Pakistan has been known as ‘failed democratic state’ because democratic values
never worked. Political leaders became authoritative when they came in power.
They tried to reform the Army for political purposes, which increased rift between
the civil and military leaders.
 The prime minister’s position has proven to be quite stable, at least politically.
Judicial, military and presidential interventions aside, no prime minister has been
removed through a no-trust motion in the National Assembly since the passage
of the 1973 Constitution.

4. FBR Reforms
 The FBR officers are demanding a say in drafting the plan. This is a way of
communicating that only the reforms they agree to would be acceptable to them,
which, in turn, is equal to denying the government’s mandate to make and
implement policy decisions.
 FBR officers are infamous for resisting change. They thwarted the reforms
envisioned in the Shahid Hussain report of the early 2000s, as well as those
associated with the sales tax act of 2010. Nothing will ever change, and revenue
leakages and inefficiencies will continue to plague the country.
 The FBR is by now notorious for alleged corruption and racketeering, and ending
these, along with the attendant revenue leakages, is a top priority for the
government.

5. Amending NAB Law

 The NAB law in its present shape is a leftover from the Musharraf years and its
genesis is rooted in that regime’s intent to persecute and punish politicians on
the other side of the divide.
 It is a failure of political will and vision that successive governments have refused
to amend the law in order to bring it closer to a shape befitting a constitutional
democracy.
 The government has broadcasted an ordinance through which it has amended
the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 so that any person arrested for an
 offence involving an amount above Rs. 50m shall be entitled to ‘C’ class or
equivalent in prison.
 NAB is today riding roughshod over politicians, bureaucrats and people from
many other walks of life. Law allows NAB discretion that automatically translates
into selectivity in the application of powers. For instance, draconian provisions
such as the denial of bail during the investigation stage have led to the arrest of
prominent politicians without formal charges being framed against them.
 Opposition leaders are facing the brunt of this accountability while various people
associated with the ruling alliance facing similar accusations enjoy the fruits of
unfettered freedom.
 It is clear that while it may be convenient to blame the decision-makers at NAB
for the reckless use of their powers, the real fault lies with the law itself.
 The ordinance allows NAB to charge people on “misuse of authority” whereas
this is a vague charge that can be applied to any decision taken in the running of
state affairs.
 The hounding and arrests of many bureaucrats on such charges leading to near-
paralysis in decision-making is a case in point.
 Selectively amending the NAB Ordinance is plain wrong. There is a need of a
constructive debate on NAB rules, authority, powers and political consensus on
transparent non-biased accountability for all regardless of institutional affiliation.

6. Gas Price Reform

 Since last year, the government has been relying on diverting imported LNG
towards domestic consumers to ensure continuous supplies. Last year, that
decision cost Rs. 29bn in subsidies because imported LNG is almost five times
as expensive as domestically produced gas. This year, that bill will be almost
double — Rs. 55bn — because the volume of gas needed for the domestic
sector is larger, given the ongoing declines in domestic fields. And no doubt, next
year the bill will be larger still.
 It is no secret that Pakistan’s fields are in decline and the supply of domestic gas
is decreasing. About a decade ago, domestic gas accounted for slightly more
 than half of Pakistan’s primary energy supply, while today, that figure has
dropped to around 35pc.
 Imported LNG fills the vacuum left behind, LNG percent of total primary energy
supplies are 0.7pc in 2015, 3.3pc in 2016, and 5.6pc in 2017 this percentage
rising even faster. A time is fast approaching when the quantity of imported LNG
in the system will be equal to that of domestic gas.
 It is becoming very urgent to move on pricing reform in the gas sector, and the
focus must be on a greater role for the market in this process. Further delay in
this process will only lead us towards a costly and disorderly resolution which will
be forced by the hand of necessity.

7. Madrassah Reforms
 The debate over how to reform madressahs in Pakistan is not a new one. While
these institutions in the country experienced explosive growth during the Zia
years, producing the human raw material required for the anti-Soviet Afghan
‘jihad’, during the Musharraf era, and especially in the aftermath of 9/11, the
establishment had second thoughts about these institutions.
 The present government has also indicated that it wants to ‘mainstream’ the
institutions. The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training says a
directorate to oversee madressahs is almost ready, and that ulema are on board.
 If the government were to succeed in bringing madressahs into the mainstream,
specifically in overseeing their curriculum and ensuring their registration, it would
be a feat worth appreciating.
 Reforming seminaries is far more difficult as it seems because:
o There are no concrete figures about how many seminaries — registered
and otherwise — exist in the country; estimates range from 30,000 to
60,000.
o Ensuring that all sects and sub-sects that run madressahs are on board is
another challenge.
 Therefore, must focus on two key areas:
 o Eliminating extremist and sectarian content from the syllabus, and
o Giving seminarians training that will help them find jobs in a wide variety of
fields.
 State has indeed cracked down on seminaries linked to militant groups, more
needs to be done to eliminate content that may fan extremism and sectarianism
in the impressionable young minds that study in madressahs.
 Instead of focusing on the ‘othering’ of different sects and faiths, madressahs
need to teach young pupils the compassion and civic duties that religion
stresses.
 Moreover, cosmetic changes — such as introducing English and computer
classes — will not do much unless madressah pupils are given vocational
training that will make them employable in the job market.

8. Police Reforms
 There is an issue that remains largely unaddressed: the lack of accountability of
a trigger-happy police force, all too often allowed getting away with murder.
Police officials shot dead an unarmed driver and wounded the passenger of a car
they claim did not pull over when signaled to stop. Including this there has been
numerous similar mushrooming incidents and extra judicial murders. Many died
while waiting to be attended by medics in hospital prior to the clearance of police.
It remains to be seen if long-term reforms will be introduced to prevent such
incidents from recurring.
 A bill was passed by the Sindh Assembly — the Sindh Injured Persons’
Compulsory Medical Treatment (Amal Umer) Bill, or simply the Amal Umer Bill —
which makes it obligatory for hospitals to give immediate treatment to victims of
firing, assault or traffic accidents.
 All expenses for emergency services are to be compensated for by the
government, and hospital staff is not to bother patients and their families with
legal formalities or require clearance by the police before or during treatment.
 Failure to do so results in fines and up to a three-year prison sentence.
Undoubtedly, it is a welcome measure: if implemented in letter and spirit, it will
 help many victims by introducing more compassion and efficiency in the running
of affairs in private and government hospitals.
 The federal government seems keen to introduce changes in Punjab and KP, the
two provinces that have PTI administrators, that will put the home department
fully in charge of the police.
 Some of the proposed reforms can be brought in through an administrative order
whereas others would require legislation by the assemblies or an ordinance.
 The reform agenda calls for an inspectorate and a complaint commission.
Basically, the police officers in Punjab are protesting because they believe that
the changes will hand over their command and control of the force to government
servants.
 The Police Service of Pakistan has fought a long battle for powers with the
Pakistan Administrative Services. Police officers are often alleged as being
doubtful of bureaucrats of the PAS, who according to them, want to usurp the
rights of other government employees.
 These police officers argue that the new proposals virtually place the force under
the command of PAS bureaucrats. Under the proposed system, for example,
deputy commissioners will have the powers to monitor police stations.
 There is an element of uncertainty with which these changes are being pushed.
The suggestions need to be debated to create greater acceptability; the failure to
follow this route has created doubts.
 Recent wave of police extremism is crystal clear which shows how the men in
uniform misuse their authority against weak and harass general public.
 It would be sad if anyone is allowed to use the stories about the age-old tussle
between two groups of government servants to delay the evolution of a system
where the police are fully accountable for their deeds.

9. Terms of IMF program

 The detailed documents connected with Pakistan’s latest IMF programme have
finally been made public; the government has delayed most decisions concerning
 any serious policy reform. As a result, the programme is best described as all
adjustment and no reform.
 Outside a fierce revenue thrust and some steep targets to build foreign exchange
reserves, there is little else. Some legislation to ensure greater autonomy for the
State Bank and the power sector regulator, Nepra, has been committed to, but a
closer look reveals that even the thrust of this legislation will be to ensure that
both these bodies can play their role to support the adjustment more than
anything else.
 There is a small list of state-owned entities scheduled for privatisation, but
besides this there is only a commitment to prepare a more detailed roadmap
down the road for what to do with the bigger SOEs.
 On the taxation side, the commitments on the major targets for revenue
collection are very ambitious and detailed, but the commitment for reform of the
tax machinery is vague.
 There is nothing vague about the hikes in revenue collection that the government
is committed to “the number one priority is revenue mobilisation”.
 This year’s tax plan is already off to uncomfortable start, with threats of strikes
popping up around the country in the first few days of the fiscal year. But the
government has committed to virtually doubling this year’s total revenue
collection by FY2024. If this year it has to fight to collect Rs5.5tr, by the end of
the programme the government says it will bring this figure to Rs10.5tr. This may
well be possible, given strong political ownership, aggressive follow-up, reforms
to restore trust between the tax collector and taxpayer, and widespread
participation in documentation efforts.
 But it is an uphill battle, and the details of the programme just released show that
the climb is a long one.
 Further structural reform measures will be added to the programme and a more
robust vision for putting the economy on a more sustainable vision will emerge.
3. SGDs (Sustainable Development Goals)
 The UN defines the sustainable Development as “the development that meets
the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs”. Sustainable development is a paradigm shift in global
development concept and practice as it is premised on the need for a
sustainable, inclusive and resilient future for planet and its inhabitants.
 This development idea seeks to synergies the three core interconnected
elements: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection.
“When it comes to sustainable development…every country is a developing
country.
 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)expired in 2015, the global community
moved to build up on the MDGs by encompassing new environmental and
development areas notably sustainable consumption, climate change, economic
inequality, innovation, peace and justice.
 The 193 countries of the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Development
Agenda titled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development”.
 The SDGs are a diverse collection of 17 global goals, 169 targets and 230
indicators that officially came into effect on 1 January 2016.Over the next fifteen
years, these Global Goals seek to end poverty, fight inequalities, and tackle
climate change among other things.
 The SDGs require around $3 trillion a year for their implementation. Compared to
the MDGs, the SDGs are much more comprehensive and inclusive with tri-
dimensional focus on economic development, social well-being and
environmental protection.
 Overemphasis on state security at cost of human security, governance issues
and inadequate budgetary allocations for the achievement of SDGs have been a
key impediment to the SDGs in Pakistan. While SDGs are not legal obligation, all
stakeholders state and non-state actors are expected to lend ownership and
devise the national frameworks for translating the 17 global goals into a tangible
reality.
 The Parliamentary SDGs Planning & Development Departments of provincial
governments with the support of UNDP has rolled out a five years joint project of
“National Initiative for Sustainable Development Goals”. In order to synergies
efforts and coordination among federal and provincial ministries and subsidiary
organizations, a Federal SDGs Support Unit has been formed at the ministry.
 Nevertheless the legislative and structural measures, the country continues to
fare poorly on the ground as reflected by Pakistan’s low ranking on the HDI.
Pakistan is ranked 150th among 189 countries surveyed in the UN’s 2018
Human Development Index measured by combining indicators of life expectancy,
educational attainment and income.
o Poverty the first and foremost goal among the SDGs. According to UNDP,
39 percent of Pakistanis (4 out of 10) are destined to suffer in
multidimensional poverty, with the highest poverty prevalence in
Baluchistan and former FATA region.
o In its report for 2017-18, World Justice Project put the country at number
105 out of a total of 113 countries reviewed on the basis of rule of law,
absence of corruption and security.
o Pakistan Education Statistics 2016-17 show that 22.84mn (44pc) out of
the total 51.53 million children, are out of school.
 In budget 2019-20, the country has allocated meager amount of Rs24m that is
insufficient to meet SDGs targets that require massive public funding.
 Appreciation of human security role in national security calculus, sustainable
economic growth, adequate funding and the localization of the SDGs and good
governance are some of the critical measures needed to materialize the SDGs
that will potentially push the country in the league of the upper middle-class
countries by 2030.
 The 18th Amendment saw many subjects, including health, education and
transport, devolved to the provincial governments that have mostly failed to build
up the requisite financial and human capacity to manage and improve service
delivery. For almost a decade, more than 70pc of SDG-related development
 responsibilities have rested with the provinces, while around 20pc are under
federal authority.
 To cope with the lack of finances and expertise, public-private partnerships and
donor-funded development programmes are emerging as one solution. However,
at the moment, the sustainability of such initiatives remains questionable.
 Governments might lighten their load by outsourcing short-term development
projects to corporate or international donor agencies, but the projects usually
lapse when funds dry up or are later abandoned by the provincial
administrations.
 Moreover, successive federal and provincial governments are overlooking the
biggest factor that ties almost all development-related SDGs together — the
country’s mushrooming population.
 Pakistan has surpassed Brazil to become the fifth-most populous country in the
world, and by 2030 (at the current population growth rate) it is expected to rise to
fourth position.
 All development-related efforts will remain insufficient until the authorities take
stock of the population growth rate. The present government’s Ehsaas
programme is said to be linked to 11 out of the 17 SDGs, but it is still in the
planning stage.
4. Constitution:
 After the failure of the federal government in keeping the federation together in
1971, the 1973 constitution was promulgated on the basis of provincial
autonomy. As the provinces lacked structure a concurrent list of departments
was prepared to be devolved in a reasonable period of time.
 As envisioned in the constitution the devolution power had to be all the way down
to the Tehsil and Union Council level. The original document defined
fundamental human rights to be provided by the state.
 Under Article 25-A, every Pakistani had to be literate by 1985. Zia removed the
time limit which meant never. Tax, loan, utility defaulters were barred from
contesting elections. Musharraf imposed the condition of Bachelor’s Degree.
 A constitution must be respected as it is an agreement between the rulers and
the ruled. Tempering of this core document to suit individual or vested needs has
always been disastrous and should not even be attempted without debate,
discussion and due process.
 There are several truths to consider when it comes to the 18th Amendment.
o First, it was a massive step in Pakistan’s history in that it boldly
overhauled the 1973 Constitution to truly turn the country into a federation.
It also decentralised power to transfer autonomy — hence, funds — to the
provinces in order to make the provision of services such as health,
education, sanitation, social welfare etc more effective (this aspect, in fact,
has formed the basis for heated debates today).
o Second, the amendment diverts too much money to the provinces and
leaves very little for the federal government, a view that makes little sense
considering how impractical it is for the center to be involved in delivering
local social services.
 The 18th amendment has succeeded in cutting Islamabad to size; it has created
four equally repressive power centers. Now the constitutional provision of
devolution and distribution of National Finance Commission award is being
violated with impunity by the rulers of Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta.
 The people of far flung areas are left at the mercy of the provincial masters
instead of the federal rulers.
 This controversial amendment came out of the Charter of Democracy (COD)
which was signed in London on May 14, 2006 by the two exiled political leaders
of the country. Benazir Bhutto was in self- exile while Nawaz Sharif the head of
the political outfit conceived and by the third usurper had having tricked the fourth
dictator to leave the country under a written agreement.
 Instead of democracy the focus now shifted to loot and plunder. With Shahbaz
Sharif in Punjab and the Shah’s in Karachi it was free for all. Zardari and Sharif
weakened the federation while the provinces under the cover of provincial
autonomy were able to misuse the nation’s resources at will.
 Like the COD, the 18th amendment has been misused and its implementation
has been seriously flawed to suit vested interests. The 18th amendment has
failed to provide the perceived relief to the common man. Instead of rollback, it
should be rolled forward. Through the local government constitutional framework
the devolution plan should be carried out to empower the masses.
 Some powerful interest groups are trying to portray the 18th Amendment as
something sacred that cannot be revisited, revised or renegotiated. Like any
other piece of legislation, this Amendment too, should remain open for scrutiny
by stakeholders and public at large for improvement and change as and when
required.
 Many experts, politicians and economists, argue that the 18th Amendment which
brought more than 100 drastic changes to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s 1973 Constitution
– has tarnished the original document so much that it should now be called
“Zardari’s Constitution.”
 Even this entire amendment was enacted without a proper analysis of its political
and economic impact on the federation and federating units. Not just the
lawmakers, but also the state institutions failed to grasp its overall negative
implications for Pakistan.
 However, even the constant critics of the 18th Amendment do not want to do
away with it altogether. What the critical voices, including many leading
 economists and experts, demand is to revise the amendment in a rational
manner and remove its weakness and flaws, including those pertaining to
financial matters, education, health and unchecked powers of the executive.
 The amendment took away the right of President of Pakistan to dissolve the
Parliament by removing article 58-2(b) from the constitution.
 However political leadership failed to provide any alternative mechanism to check
the powers of the executive within the Parliament. It was unable to develop any
viable internal system of accountability of prime ministers, who may turn into
mini-dictators.
 Lawmakers belonging to the ruling party cannot differ or challenge him/her on
any issue; for fear of losing their seat in Parliament, under the anti-defection law,
nor any subordinate investigation or law enforcing agency could hold the premier
accountable.
 Furthermore, none of the investigation agencies and anti- graft bodies from the
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)
could move against premier because they were overtly or covertly under the
executive’s thumb.
 To avoid agitation and sit-ins which had put the country in the vortex of protests
and uncertainty the Parliament needs to find a method to hold the prime
minister accountable in a way so that the system doesn’t get derailed if he/she is
found involved in corruption, misuse of power or poor governance.
 The amendment trimmed the wings of the President further by barring him/her
from imposing emergency rule in any province or from dissolving Parliament
without prime minister’s concurrence. This creates a contradiction as no
constitutional way remains open to tackle a political turmoil created by an elected
government or calling for action against any provincial or the national assembly.
 The 18th Amendment also allowed an individual to hold the premier slot of a
prime minister more than two times. This change was personality-specific and
aimed to benefit Nawaz Sharif, so that he could become prime minister a third
time – which he did in 2013.
 The so-called secular parties amended the constitution to make only Muslim
members of the National Assembly eligible as candidates for the slot of the prime
minister, reinforcing the perception that members belonging to the religious
minorities are treated as the second class citizens.
 The PML-N, considered a centrist party, agreed to massive changes in the
Constitution only because Zardari senior gave them this Sharif-specific
concession.
 On a positive note, the amendment barred courts from validating extra-
constitutional measures such as the suspension of the constitution, but it again
failed to suggest a constitutional way out of a crisis or an impasse.
 The 18th Amendment also included several fundamental rights to the
Constitution such as:
o Article 10-A on the right to a fair trial,
o 19-A on the right to information, and
o 25-A on the child’s right to education.
 These are non-controversial additions and been generally acclaimed by all.
Similarly, amendments regarding judicial appointments, the establishment of
Islamabad High Court and renaming of North Western Frontier Province as
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa also have been well received.
 The architects of the 18th Amendment, however, did not address the qualification
and disqualification criteria in articles 62 and 63 of the constitution for the
members of the Parliament.
 These vague articles were inserted by former military ruler President Gen.
Muhammed Zia-ul Haq to infuse an ‘Islamic’ spirit among parliamentarians and
remain subject to conflicting interpretations. Instead of improving these articles,
the 18th Amendment discriminated against religious minorities; who under
constitutional changes are now barred from holding the offices of the prime
minister, chief justice and election commissioner. However, this change remains
against the spirit of the Constitution, which treats all as equal citizens
regardless of their faith, ethnicity, sect or colour.
 Despite more than 100 changes in the Constitution, the 18th Amendment failed
to undo the contentious Hudood and blasphemy laws. But the biggest
abnormality has been created on the economic front in the name of provincial
autonomy. The provinces get 57.5 percent of the total taxes collected under the
divisible pool, while the federal government gets 42.5 percent.
 Moreover, under the 18th Amendment, the share of the provinces, can be
increased but not decreased from the share fixed in the 7th National Finance
Commission Award. To compound further, this ill-thought out move, all the big
ticket expenditure items including debt servicing, defense, footing the bill of the
loss- making public sector enterprises, subsidies and allocations for emergency
challenges were kept with the federal government, but the bulk of resources were
given to the provinces.
 It weaved a tangled web as the federal government was allowed to collect tax on
goods and all incomes barring agriculture, while provincial governments collected
tax on services, which created problems for the big service sector companies
operating across Pakistan as they have now to deal with multiple agencies.
 The hopes that provinces will raise taxes on their own also did not materialize
because flushed with money from the federal government, provincial
governments made no serious effort to broaden the tax base. Provinces also
remain reluctant to tax the powerful interest groups, including the agricultural
sector.
 Ironically, many ministries and federal government functions were devolved, but
provinces got no say in taxation planning. As the size of the cake remains small
(federal government collected revenues worth Rs.3.7 trillion in fiscal 2017-18,
which the IMF wants to increase up to Rs.4.7 in the first phase), there is a need
not only to broaden it but fix the anomalies that the 18th Amendment infused in
the system.
 The thrust of efforts should be for federal rather than centralized planning as
resource mobilization has increasingly become difficult against the backdrop of
the country’s economic slowdown.
 While the supporters of the 18th Amendment maintain a strong position on the
devolution of power and autonomy, all the major political parties, including the
PPP and the PMLN-N remain averse to empowering the local bodies in line with
the 140-A of the Constitution. On this issue, the provincial governments
consistently played a negative role and resisted granting provincial finance
commissions. Even the local bodies elections – for example in Sindh and Punjab
– could only be held after the intervention of the superior judiciary, but the
provincial governments ensured to make them as toothless and powerless
through a string of changes in its laws.
 Another big problem which the 18th Amendment created is in the energy sector.
The bone of contention remains that while the right of the provinces has been
recognized on natural resources, the federal government remains in charge of
the distribution network, which is accumulating losses worth billions of rupees
every day because of rampant theft and non-payment of electricity and natural
gas bills by consumers. Provincial governments are likely to go bust if this burden
is transferred to them; meaning running the energy sector distribution companies.
 The issues originating because of the abolishment of the concurrent list also
need to be revisited to bring harmony between federating units and the center.
Other matters requiring urgent attention is the education sector, which has been
devolved at the provincial level. But this was done without proper planning or
thinking. The foremost issue here remains that education, instead of uniting the
people and playing its role in nation-building, has become a divisive in nature
thanks to various curriculums and parallel schooling systems.
 The thrust of efforts should be for federal rather than centralized planning as
resource mobilization has increasingly become difficult against the backdrop of
the country’s economic slowdown.
 On this front, the federal government should have powers to develop and
introduce similar syllabus and method of education across the country with input
from the provincial education ministries up to the primary and secondary level.
The provinces must devolve powers to run and manage schools to the local
governments instead of concentrating at the provincial education ministry.
 The issue of the capacity of the provinces in terms of teachers training also
needs to be revisited to ensure an equal standard of education in all provinces
and develop similar marking criteria.
 The existence of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has also been
questioned after the 18th Amendment, but it was saved by the Supreme Court,
which allowed it to continue performing functions under HEC Ordinance 2002 in
a landmark ruling in April 2011.
 The federal government must also intervene to regulate, monitoring and
standardize the quality of education and examination at the college and
university level to bring uniformity in the system.
 The 18th Amendment also hurt the health sector as it did not put in place a
centralized checking authority for health services and the regulation of drugs.
 The decision to decentralize these core monitoring and regulation functions run
contrary to the world trend in which the regulatory framework is being centralized
and standardized.
 Overall the 18th Amendment has created massive governance and financial
complications by the haphazard distribution of resources, weakening the center,
removing the federal supervision and monitoring on important public service
sectors and weakened the much-needed checks and the process of
accountability.
 To ensure pro-people reforms and better working between provinces and the
center it is necessary to revisit the 18th Amendment in its entirety and do away
with those changes which have choked and weakened the federal government
and prevented devolution of power to the local bodies level. Pakistan is too
valuable to be held hostage to the petty interests of a handful of self-serving
politicians.
5. Terrorism
 Terrorism is a “crime with the object and purpose of destabilising society or the
government with a view to achieving objectives which are political in the
extended sense of the word”.

1. The militant threat: International

 Over the past four decades, a variety of jihadi organisations have taken root in
South Asia, thanks largely to the anti-Soviet Afghan ‘jihad’, a geopolitical
adventure marshalled by the US, financed by the Gulf Arabs and supported by
Pakistan.
 Though many outfits have been neutralised in the aftermath of 9/11 and the so-
called war on terror, the region is still not completely free from the menace of
extremist militancy. For example, more fierce terrorist outfits have emerged, such
as the self-styled Islamic State group, while ‘veteran’ players such as Al Qaeda
have branched out and formed new wings.
 Among these is Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, a group formed a few years
ago and primarily consisting of militants of South Asian backgrounds. The group
has been known to be involved in acts of terrorism in this country.
 Despite the deaths of a high-profile militant the low profile terrorist groups are
currently maintaining, they have not completely been neutralised, and unless
there is cooperation on counterterrorism efforts among regional states, the
specter of religiously motivated militancy can re-emerge at a more opportune
time.
 Moreover, the Taliban must reconsider their approach to sheltering foreign
militants. If they seek to be legitimate players in Afghan politics, they must cut all
links with foreign terrorist groups. Lest they forget, it was their association with Al
Qaeda that prompted the US invasion in the first place.
 The fact is that ungoverned spaces in the region, especially in Afghanistan, will
allow militants space to regroup and plan further mayhem across the globe. In
particular, the IS Khorasan ‘chapter’ is active in Afghanistan, attracting several
 recruits, including disgruntled Taliban elements, from that country. It poses a
distinct threat to all countries in the region.
 Transnational terrorism recognises no borders, which is why the states of South
Asia must pool their energies to counter what is a common threat. Acting in
isolation will allow militant groups greater space to operate.

2. Need to Review Security Paradigm:

 Acts of terrorism in the country’s urban centers are certainly down, especially as
compared to the situation a few years ago. However, this does not mean that the
threat of militancy has been vanquished and the security apparatus can rest
easy.
 Balochistan’s largest city, prone to terrorist violence since years now, has several
times been targeted by twin attacks, coordinated to deliberately kill as many
people as possible.
 Two years ago, the assassination of a senior advocate in Quetta was designed to
draw many other lawyers to the hospital where his body had been taken. A
suicide attack on the gathering killed over 70 people, including 56 lawyers. One
more example, a bombing inside a snooker hall in a Hazara locality back in 2013,
was followed minutes later by a second, massive explosion outside the venue. At
least 81 people, including rescue workers, police personnel and media persons,
among others, were killed and around 120 injured in the two blasts.
 The creation of the Taliban was an exercise to safeguard external security. The
network gave birth to several splinter groups which turned against their masters
when they were told to stop the jihad. Before they took out their trainers like Col
(rtd) Imam and Khalid Khawaja, the TTP terrorists had killed thousands of
innocent citizens in the country.
 No action was taken to silence Mullah Fazlullah’s FM radio station that spread
extremism all over Swat. A military operation was delayed till the TTP established
control over the area, repudiated Pakistan’s constitution, set up its own courts
and decided to march on Islamabad.
 The Musharraf government continued to be in denial when it was pointed out to it
that North Waziristan had become a safe haven for terrorists. While those trained
in North Waziristan launched attacks on GHQ and military installations and killed
thousands in various cities, the then COAS Gen Ashfaq Kayani ruled out any
military operation. Even after an operation had been conducted in North
Waziristan, the search for good Taliban continued for use against the bad
Taliban and perceived security threats.
 After sustaining unbearable losses in human and material terms, the world is no
more willing to allow militant networks to operate from any country in the world.
Those who are deadly opposed to them, include international bodies like the
World Bank and the FATF, Pakistan’s traditional friends and donors like the USA,
Britain and Japan and its closest allies like China and Saudi Arabia. That China
finally agreed not to block the resolution declaring Masood Azhar a global
terrorist should provide a much needed reality check.
 Baluchistan, especially its border areas, has genuine reasons to be worried
about militants trying to create trouble. The province has unfortunately figured
quite extensively in the news for militant attacks. Some divide the perpetrators of
such attacks into two categories:
o The Baloch separatist groups that Islamabad claims are acting at the
behest of foreign patrons, and
o Terrorist elements which often operate from Afghanistan or have links to
the long-standing Afghan conflict.
 In recent times, tensions have increased in Afghanistan and there is a need to
strengthen border security.
 In recent months, Balochistan has seen a spike in acts of terror along the Quetta-
Chaman road, despite the overall decline in violence in the country. Unless
prompt action is taken and security and surveillance beefed up, the threat will
only grow.
 As reported in newspaper, according to the Sindh police’s Counter- Terrorism
Department, a “splinter cell” associated with Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent
 is “regrouping” in Karachi. The militants had apparently returned from
Afghanistan and were planning to activate sleeper cells in the metropolis.
 Deadly bombing in Quetta demonstrates, the militants are on the lookout for soft
targets and can strike whenever they have an opportunity to do so.
 It should be remembered that before the militant threat was dealt several blows
through a combination of military operations (eg Zarb-i-Azb) and police action in
the cities, acts of terrorism had become a frequent, unfortunate part of life in
Pakistan. Mosques, markets, schools and political rallies were all attacked by
extremist killers, resulting in a high number of casualties and sending a wave of
fear across the nation.
 Thankfully, the situation has changed for the positive, though in the recent past,
several attempts have been made to sabotage the relative stability in the country,
such as the Kuchlak mosque bombing. The key, as experience shows, is to
conduct intelligence-based operations and bust terrorist groups before they can
carry out acts of violence.
 The Sindh CTD has done well to raise a red flag about the presence of AQIS in
Karachi; now the security agencies must step into high gear and bust the cell
before it is able to carry out acts of mayhem.
 Militants may be keeping quiet, but this does not mean that they have abandoned
their violent ways. For example, sectarian groups have also reared their ugly
head, as a number of targeted killings in Karachi have recently indicated. But
with a combination of good intelligence and law enforcement, these violent actors
can be countered and put out of business. The National Action Plan remains a
workable solution to uproot terrorism from Pakistan, and needs to be
implemented with full force.
 This country has suffered much due to years of the state ignoring the terrorist
threat. Now when the situation is relatively better, the state must prevent new
threats from emerging, and neutralise the leftovers of old militant outfits.
 Very often, negligence in observing basic security protocols leads to more people
dying in twin attacks than would have otherwise. Law-enforcement personnel
must immediately cordon off the site of a bombing or targeted killing:
 o Firstly, it is a crime scene and evidence must be diligently preserved so
that the investigation has enough material to enable it to bring the
perpetrators to book.
o Secondly, security cordons can ensure that bystanders and media
persons are at a reasonable distance from the site in case of another
explosion.
 Speaking of the media, such has become the cutthroat nature of the business
that in the race to obtain ‘exclusive’ footage, news editors often push their
reporters and cameramen beyond acceptable limits.
 Some years ago, in an environment rapidly becoming hazardous for journalists, a
large group of newspaper editors and heads of news at television channels had
agreed on reporting guidelines for the electronic media.
 Security establishment must ensure that no hostile actors are able to exploit
vulnerable areas. Whether it is foreign militants finding refuge in far-flung areas,
or intelligence agencies of hostile states operating inside Pakistan, in both cases
the state and the security establishment must maintain extra vigilance to prevent
militants from using this country as a base against others, and to ensure internal
security. These are times of tension, especially on the eastern border; there is no
excuse for security lapses that can lead to loss of life in the country.
 With the emergence of transnational jihadi networks and global militant outfits
like Al Qaeda and the self-styled Islamic State group, questions of dealing with
captured terrorists and their dependents have arisen, especially when they hold
nationalities of Western states. Some fighters are hardcore militants and need to
be prosecuted, the question of underage fighters, ‘jihadi wives’ and children of
militants is far trickier.
 One method that some Western states have adopted to get rid of unwanted
citizens involved in militancy is to strip them of their citizenship; in a high-profile
case, the UK recently revoked the citizenship of Shamima Begum, a woman who
left Britain to join IS when she was 15. In fact, as a conference held recently in
The Hague was told, the UK has revoked the nationality of 100 individuals in
2017.
 Indeed, hardcore militants who indulge in violence and terrorism need to be
punished. However, for underage recruits of jihadi groups and others who may
have been swept away by emotions, along with punitive measures rehabilitation
is also important. Simply revoking the nationality of such individuals is akin to
passing the buck.
 Once individuals have been deprived of their nationality, their resentment
towards society will only grow, and they may return to extremism and militancy.
Instead of simply cancelling their citizenship, a combination of punitive measures
and reformative efforts should be implemented by Western states whose
denizens have gone abroad to participate in ‘jihad’. Leaving such individuals
stateless will only add to global security concerns.
6. National Action Plan:
 Pakistan is against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Well, this has
been our official policy line for very many years, but unfortunately, we have failed
to prove it to the world, and not too many in the comity of nations are ready to
acknowledge the countless sacrifices — loss of 70,000 precious lives of civilians
and security personnel and more than hundred billion dollars in terms of
squandered economic opportunities and damaged infrastructure — that Pakistan
rendered in the US-led war on terror.
 The 20-point National Action Plan — that was devised with national consensus in
the wake of the December 2014 Army Public School massacre — provides a
comprehensive strategy to deal with the long-haunting menace. The plan needs
to be implemented in letter and spirit, and this war on terror must continue till
achievement of its objectives.
 The government realises it must crack down on violent actors. Considering the
strength of the jihadi infrastructure nurtured since the Zia era, it will take some
time and considerable effort before it is dismantled.
 A three-phase policy — featuring political, economic and administrative
measures — to curb the menace of terrorism, a number of steps have been
taken against terrorists and terror outfits in the country in line with the decisions
taken at a recent meeting of the National Security Committee.
 As many as 44 members affiliated with proscribed organisations — including
Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar’s brother Mufti Abdul Rauf and son
Hammad Azhar — into ‘preventive custody’ under the National Action Plan.
Besides, two seminaries and property belonging to proscribed Jamaat-ud-Dawa
and Falah-e-Insaniyat have been taken over by the government.
7. Social Programs:
 Prime Minister Imran Khan remains committed to his cherished aim of creating a
welfare state in Pakistan. Sadly for him, patience is running out and the schemes
that have been launched thus far appear to many as mere photo ops.
 He recently renewed his pledge to push ahead for a welfare state that provides
for the poor and the needy on the premises of a soup kitchen run by the Saylani
Welfare International Trust near Peshawar Morr, Islamabad.
 He promised 1,200 more such facilities across the country in what seems to be a
cooperative model between private and government initiatives to run welfare
schemes.
 A ministry has been created for social protection and poverty alleviation, and
various programmes have been clubbed under it. But eventually, the poor need
protection from rising inflation, especially food inflation. Soup kitchens are fine as
a palliative in these times, but they do not amount to a policy response.
 The Kamyab Jawan Programme also launched by Prime Minister Imran Khan
to deliver on one of his party’s major election promises has wide scope. It aims
primarily at creating new jobs and reducing poverty by disbursing interest-free
microloans and subsidised small loans among young men and women,
especially from the country’s 45 most backward districts, for setting up new
businesses or financing existing small enterprises.
 The scheme is also expected to facilitate the establishment of smart science
laboratories at seminaries in order to bring the students there into the
mainstream, while also providing skills training to the youth in collaboration with
the industry.
 Further, teachers will be trained to impart skills and provide vocational training,
thus narrowing the skilled labour gap between industry and the services sector.
 Overall, the various initiatives under this programme will cost Rs100bn. Out of
the total amount, 25pc is reserved for women. If spent well, all this money, which
is to come from the UNDP, is projected to reduce poverty and youth
unemployment in the country.
8. Highlighted Cases and the Judiciary:
1. shootout case in Sahiwal
 While not a unique occurrence, no less than 27 of prosecution witnesses turned
hostile, allowing the accused relief. These witnesses were originally there to help
prove the guilt of the accused police officials in the killing of Muhammad Khalil,
his wife Nabila, their teenage daughter and Zeeshan, a friend of Khalil’s who was
driving the car.
 The Lahore-based family was on its way to a wedding when it came under a hail
of bullets. In the absence of any witnesses testifying against the accused, the
ATC judge dismissed the possibility of supportive evidence reinforcing the
prosecution’s case. This included the footage showing images of the car in which
the victims were travelling along with three minor children who survived the
attack. The footage led to outrage across the country.
 This was considered an open-and-shut case of an overzealous police force going
mad with their chase after a wrong tip-off. Even the prime minister and members
of his cabinet promised exemplary punishment for those responsible.
 The Sahiwal verdict seems an attempt to quickly end the matter,. The case, the
debate it stirred, is still open, with its many dimensions about justice, privileges
and necessities justified by emergencies.
 There have always been grave concerns about how easily the police get away
with the gravest of excesses but this is about a more privileged law-enforcement
arm. The CTD is a force born of special needs in the wake of the war against
militancy, with special cover provided to its acts. But it must still be held
accountable for actions that take the life of the innocent.

2. Army Chief Extension Case:

 This is without a doubt the most shambolic episode in the PTI government’s
tenure so far. The snowballing controversy over the extension of army chief Gen
Qamar Bajwa’s tenure is entirely of its own making, and one that cannot be laid
at the door of previous dispensations. Moreover, the government’s incompetence
 has not only damaged its own reputation but also threatens to drag the military
as a whole into disrepute.
 There was confusion about whether Imran Khan was the competent authority to
grant the extension, which was apparently not the case. Later, the government
claimed that President Arif Alvi, as required by law, had signed off on the
notification.
 Chief Justice Asif Khosa, in a stunning move, suspended the extension order on
the grounds of procedural abnormalities, and the fact there is no provision in the
Army Regulations to support such an extension.
 The final verdict said the government and parliament should specify the terms
and conditions of the service of the COAS through an act of parliament and
clarify the scope of Article 243 of the Constitution. Parliament, as per the order,
should enact the said legislation within six months. Such a law would be
expected to determine the length of the army chief’s tenure — and the question
of its extension.
 The episode lays bare the PTI government’s authoritarian streak and its lack of
maturity — a lethal combination.
o Consider the manner in which, a few hours after the Supreme Court order,
the cabinet rushed through an amendment to the Army Regulations to
include a provision for an “extension in the army chief’s tenure”.
o Reinforcing the impression of ineptitude, it also emerged during the
hearing at the Supreme Court that the prime minister had moved a
summary seeking approval for reappointment while the president had
issued a notification for extension in tenure.
 This is a landmark case: unprecedented questions are being raised, threatening
to upend the accepted status quo, and holding a mirror to society’s psyche.
Consider that four army chiefs have given themselves extensions while two
others were so favoured by the government of the time — but no one thought to
ask whether this was legal at all.
 The court has also rightly noted that the regional security situation — the official
reason given for the extension — is for the army to handle as an institution,
 rather than being an individual’s job. Surely there are other officers more than
capable of leading the army.
 Nation believes in the strength of institutions. Although the court may have felt it
necessary to prevent a sudden vacuum in the army leadership, Gen Bajwa has
been given a face-saving opportunity to decide on a course of action that will
serve the interests of his institution and the system as a whole — and not that of
a single individual.

3. Gen Musharraf Case:

 The trial has dragged on since 2014, when a special court constituted to try the
former military dictator charged him under Article 6 for suspending the
Constitution in 2007 and imposing emergency rule.
 Exactly a week before this government came to Mr Musharraf’s rescue, Prime
Minister Imran Khan — evidently annoyed by Nawaz Sharif’s departure for
medical treatment abroad — made an ill-considered taunt against the superior
judiciary, asking it to “restore public trust by ending the impression about
favouring the powerful against the poor”.
 In a robust defence of his institution, Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa
retorted that the judiciary had convicted one prime minister and disqualified
another, and that a verdict against a former army chief was soon to be delivered.
 Surely anyone familiar with Pakistan’s history knows that an army chief can be
counted among the elites whose influence, endures beyond retirement. Indeed,
so powerful is this office that Mr Musharraf is the first of his group to have faced
prosecution for suspending the Constitution.
 In a decision announced, the bench awarded him the death penalty, with one
judge dissenting. The reaction, as expected with an issue of such consequence
and given the implications pertaining to institutional equilibrium, has ranged from
exultation to outrage.
 Later Lahore High court has overturned the death sentence handed down to
former president Pervez Musharraf by declaring the legal process
unconstitutional.
4. Nawaz’s treatment Case:
 The courts granted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif bail so he could get the
medical treatment he needs. The government agreed to remove his name from
the ECL on humanitarian grounds so he could travel abroad. All seemed smooth
till all of a sudden the government announced that Mr Sharif would have to sign
an indemnity bond worth Rs7bn before he would be allowed to travel, as a
guarantee of his return.
 PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif refused to sign the bond, and instead,
challenged the decision in the Lahore High Court. A normal situation which could
have been handled normally has now turned into a full-blown crisis.
 Despite the fact that there is no ambiguity about the seriousness of Nawaz
Sharif’s medical condition. The latest report from the government-appointed
medical board has stated clearly that he is suffering from life-threatening
ailments, and his platelets continue to hover at precarious levels. More
alarmingly, the doctors have not been able to identify the underlying cause of the
plunging platelet count.
 In short, the former prime minister needs urgent and immediate treatment
abroad. In such a situation, the government’s insensitive decision to demand an
indemnity note smacks of political point-scoring and one-upmanship.
 This is wrong on all counts.
o First, Mr Sharif has shown in the past that he will not abscond from the
law. He illustrated this in July last year when he and his daughter Maryam
Nawaz returned from London after a court had sentenced them in
Pakistan.
o Second, the courts have given him bail which fulfills the legal requirement
for his travel overseas. The government is, then, under no legal
requirement to ask for an indemnity bond. Doing so is a political decision,
and an unfortunate one.
o Third, the bond requirement is an afterthought in the wake of the
disenchantment of some cabinet members who argued that letting Mr
Sharif travel abroad would extract a political cost for the PTI government.
 The Lahore High Court (LHC) later allowed ailing Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad
for four weeks for medical treatment without furnishing any indemnity bond.

5. Awards for Judges:

 It recently emerged that presiding officers from 24 out of the 167 model criminal
trial courts in the country are to receive awards from Chief Justice Asif Saeed
Khosa for disposing of the highest numbers of cases before them. Altogether,
according to the official data, the MCTCs decided 4,897 cases of murder and
7,687 of narcotics since they were established. A total of 55,619 witnesses were
examined during the course of the trials.
 Among the awardees is the presiding officer of the Charsadda MCTC who
decided 185 murder and narcotics cases and the Islamabad-West MCTC that
disposed of 69 murder cases. Some women judges have also made the list.
 Certainly, procedural delays are a huge problem and must be addressed. They
increase the costs for litigants; encourage corruption, especially at the lower
court level; contribute to the over-crowding of prisons; expose under-trial
prisoners, who may be behind bars for minor offences, to the disgusting influence
of hardened criminals, etc.
 Such delays are the root cause of many of the issues that plague the system. But
there is another, equally wicked, aspect to this scenario. As the outcome of many
court proceedings has illustrated, substandard investigations defeat the ends of
justice in several ways. At times, they result in perpetrators of serious crimes
going free, if they are arrested at all; at others, they lead to innocent people being
convicted, even sent to the gallows. While fair-minded, hardworking judges must
be appreciated, justice should be about substance rather than form.

6. Judiciary remained controversial:

 In a land where politics is truly the art of the possible, a claim as startling as the
one made by Ms Nawaz should not be dismissed without a thorough
investigation as uncertainty would run the risk of discrediting the judiciary.
 In fact, this fresh episode shines a light on the precarious relationship between
the courts and those who wield influence. In the past, Pakistan has been rocked
by scandals which laid bare the executive’s collusion with the judiciary:
o When the Supreme Court in 2001 found that Justice Malik Muhammad
Qayyum — one of the country’s most senior judges at the time — was
biased in his handling of the case against Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali
Zardari. The impropriety, famously known as the ‘Justice Qayyum tapes’
scandal, hinged on leaked audio conversations between the judge and the
then head of the Ehtesab Bureau, who reportedly had told the judge to
“give them [Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari] the full dose” ahead of the
verdict.
 Not too long ago, then Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Siddiqui, too, spoke
of pressure tactics and intimidation by security agencies to manipulate court
proceedings — an explosive allegation which resulted in an inquiry that found
him guilty of misconduct and saw him removed from office.
 Ironically for the PML-N — a party which has in the past been guilty of interfering
in the judicial process — the accountability judge’s denial and counter-allegation
of attempted bribery is not looking good for the party. However, the fact that the
judge was engaging with members of the PML-N is even more troubling.
 At a time when the issue of accountability is front and centre, the leaked video
scandal has shaken the political establishment and the justice system to its core.
As the judge accepted Hussain Nawaz offered him 'Rs500m bribe' to resign after
Al-Azizia verdict to make the verdict controversial.
 The saga continues to unfold, with accusations and counter-accusations making
matters even more murky. And yet, it is crystal clear that some spring-cleaning
by the judiciary is urgently required.
 The ongoing process of accountability of public officials is already problematic,
due to a not ill-deserved perception of investigations being largely tainted by
political considerations. The judiciary must meet the standards universally
expected credibility of the arbiters of the law.
9. Accountability:
1. Accountability in question:
 It is not surprising that the opposition parties have been insisting, with some
justification, that the arrest of members of opposition reflects the revengeful
nature of the current accountability drive. They view the controversial drive as a
scheme that targets not simply legislators accused of corruption, but parliament
as a whole.
 Regrettably, the government does not mind being blamed to undermine
parliament whenever an opportunity presents itself. Nor do the rulers seem to be
concerned at the criticism that NAB gets over the manner in which it selects
individuals and then proceeds against them.
 The PTI conveniently maintains that NAB is an invention of the parties which
were in power then and are in opposition now, ie the PPP and PML-N. No
investigating authority can retain its neutrality and escape critical censure and
public outcry if it appears too sluggish or eager in its methods. The accountability
bureau is far too slow in its investigations — but loses no time when it comes to
identifying and then arresting suspects.
 There is little sense in holding suspected individuals for so long, and exploiting,
even abusing, the provision for physical remand. If it has concrete reasons for its
actions, and evidence to support them, NAB must process the cases and let the
courts decide.
 Opposition detention in a corruption probe might not lead to a rejection of the
PML-N and PPP politics. Instead, it could fuel allegations of selective
accountability.
 Opposition accuses the government of exacting political revenge, with opposition
leader blasting the 'NAB and PTI unholy alliance' on the floor of the National
Assembly several times.
 Prime Minister Imran Khan also constituted an inquiry commission to look into
the reasons why Pakistan’s total debt climbed from Rs6tr in 2008 to Rs30tr by
2019. He wants to know “where all this money went”.
2. Lopsided Accountability:
 Amongst the political uproar unleashed by the accountability process, and its
ever-widening ripple effect, Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa has
voiced his unease about the way the wind is blowing on several fronts, described
as “dangerous” the growing perception “that the process of accountability being
pursued … at present is lopsided and is a part of political engineering”.
 Adding that “some remedial steps need to be taken urgently so that the process
does not lose credibility”, he also spoke about the shrinking political space in
governance that “may not augur well for the future of the country as a
constitutional democracy”.
 They indicate a realisation at the highest levels of the justice system that we
stand at a critical juncture where the rule of law is fast being eroded by a charade
of accountability, and a political witch-hunt becoming more embarrassing by the
day. Two former prime ministers and a former president are behind bars; several
duly elected representatives of the people have also been silenced, thrown
behind bars for one reason or another; there is no longer even an appearance of
probity.
 The media, far from acting as a check on this abuse of power, is in retreat,
frightened into consent rather than acting as a channel for diverse opinions.
While it is unfortunate that Justice Khosa has recognised the clear and present
danger to democracy somewhat belatedly, that he has done so at last, and laid
out the perils in such a comprehensive a manner, is heartening. A pushback is
imperative in the interests of the country and the judiciary’s own standing in the
eyes of the people.
 The presidential reference against Justice Faez Isa in the SJC had threatened to
drive a slice between the bar and the bench, and perhaps even spark an
institutional clash of the kind which catalysed the lawyers’ movement in 2007.
Order must be restored and every institution returns to its constitutional role.

3. Earnings of hostility:
 There is much evidence of the status the government has assumed to itself.
Take the selective accountability drive in the country. Much of the protest in the
 house on circled around the treasury’s reluctance to allow relief to some
legislators, who are currently in custody on corruption-related charges, and to let
them take part in parliamentary proceedings.
 The current opposition asserted that the Imran Khan government has more than
earned this confrontation thanks to its hostile attitude, and believes that the
treasury’s stance on many points has betrayed a desire to deny the opposition —
and parliament at large — its due role.
 Many independent voices will validate that the Khan setup has indeed made no
secret of its utter dislike for its rivals in parliament. It is a bitter relationship, and
while the opposition would do well to sometimes lend an ear to what top officials
of the state have to say without constantly interrupting them and disrupting
proceedings, most of the blame must lie with the government.

4. A-Class Accountability:
 There is an element of both self-righteousness and audacity in the way the
government has ignored all advice to proceed cautiously with its accountability
drive and not appear to be on a biased side.
 There was more evidence of how the PTI setup may actually be delight in the
allegations about targeted accountability. Farogh Naseem, the federal law
minister, accompanied by Firdous Ashiq Awan, the prime minister’s special
adviser on information, said a new rule would soon bar those involved in mega
corruption from claiming ‘A’-class status in prison.
 The new rule is thought to be a result of the widespread anger in the country
against those who are accused of gobbling up the millions that were supposed to
be spent on the welfare of the people. However, the proposal that aims to
demote certain ‘A’-class prisoners or detainees has clearly not been thought
through.
 The biggest issue, of course, relates to the opposition politicians who are or are
likely to be thrown in a prison cell in the near future, given the thrust of the
current accountability campaign. The debate about how the process of
accountability must appear to be fair and non-discriminatory is futile once it is
 established that the government’s chosen manner is not rooted simply in over-
excitement.

5. Restraining NAB:
 Until now, the government had been in total denial that it had any control over
NAB’s ‘anti-graft’ drive, which has created a culture of fear that many see as
affecting the economy. But it appears that the government is going to admit that it
has some influence over the movement of the accountability bulldozer.
 The federal cabinet has acknowledged the reality that the NAB’s campaign is
crippling the economy, hampering investment and causing administrative inertia.
The cabinet has decided to ‘make some procedural changes’ in the bureau’s
working to stop it from scaring and threatening investors.
 As the economy gasps for fresh air, the anti-corruption agency hogs the
headlines with its feats — mostly the sheer humiliation it heaps on opposition
politicians or those businessmen and bureaucrats linked with them. There are
also allegations that intense pressure was exerted on certain businessmen and
bureaucrats to turn approver in corruption cases against opposition leaders.
 The bureau’s work in recent times has smacked of a selective campaign
endangering the fairness of the entire accountability process. Steps such as the
constitution of a debt commission comprising officials of the military intelligence
agencies and NAB to investigate the projects and agreements that are believed
to have led to the rapid accumulation of public debt since 2008 are being viewed
suspiciously as a tool to be used against the government’s opponents.
 The NAB law requires a wholesale review by parliament to restrain it from
opening an investigation without proper inquiry and sufficient grounds, and
arresting suspects without hard evidence against them, as well as to bar it from
invading on the territory of other state agencies with a similar mandate. For this
to happen, the Imran Khan administration must tone down its anti- corruption
rhetoric and agree to sit down with the opposition.
6. Cases against Opposition:
 The spate of arrests targeting politicians does not bode well for the health of the
political process in the country. There are now 12 politicians — the vast majority
of them from opposition parties — in jail, with one convicted and the rest pending
investigation. Included in this number are two Waziristan MNAs in police custody,
who were booked for assault and criminal conspiracy.
 There are reports of NAB ‘hunting’ for yet another opposition party politician, and
speculation is rife regarding the next member of the PPP or PML-N to be picked
up. A prominent member of the ruling PTI, Aleem Khan, too, was arrested by
NAB in a corruption case, but was released on bail after two months.
 There is no doubt that accountability is an essential component of governance.
Those who wield power and receive tax money from citizens are bound to
answer to the people about the use or misuse of public funds.
 The astonishing frequency, with which opposition parties are being targeted for
alleged crimes ranging from so-called mega corruption and terrorism to drug
possession, makes it appear more like a sinister campaign to muzzle political
opponents.
 The allegations levelled against these politicians are undisputedly serious, but
the trend of ‘imprison first, investigate later’ and the sheer arbitrariness of the
investigation process bear all the characteristics of a political witch-hunt.
 Too often, we have seen lawmakers critical of the government jailed, remanded
into custody and then left to languish there while a fishing expedition is in full
swing. Authorities have the right to question individuals whom they legitimately
suspect of wrongdoing, but the ongoing spectacle of dramatic arrests and
prolonged incarceration pending accusation or even an inquiry, has weakened
the public’s confidence in these investigating institutions.
 To make matters worse, the media trial and simultaneous smear campaigns
against those being probed violate the presumption of innocence principle and
cast a shadow over the fairness of the process. Even if individuals are later
released from custody, there is little they can do to rectify the damage that has
been done to their reputation.
 Accountability regarding financial scams as anti-corruption watchdogs delved
deeper into illegal acts allegedly committed by politicians. Old files — some more
than a decade old — were cracked open, setting in motion the wheels to send
bigwigs behind bars. At least three former prime ministers appeared before
courts in corruption-related cases while the leader of the opposition of the newly
elected assembly was taken into custody.
 The accountability process, however, did not sit well with everyone. Since
several of the accused belonged to political parties that are now in the
opposition, the PTI and anti-corruption bodies were accused of 'selective
accountability'.
 List of the biggest corruption stories that dominated headlines during the past
year is as follow:
o Case against former PM Nawaz Sharif.
 The Avenfield property case.
 Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference.
 Reference regarding Flagship Investments.
 The court found him guilty of owning assets beyond means,
handing him a seven-year jail sentence along with a fine of Rs1.5
billion and US $25 million.
o Case against former CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif.
 Ashiana Housing Scandal.
 Saaf Paani Case.
 The UK-based paper also accused that Shahbaz Sharif during his
tenure as Punjab chief minister embezzled millions of pounds out of
around £500m that Britain’s Department for International Aid has
poured into the province for upliftment projects. According to the
report, a substantial chunk of the money for the rehabilitation of the
victims of the 2005 earthquake was also diverted into the personal
accounts of the PML-N leader and his family through an elaborate
money-laundering scheme.
  Though the housing scheme came under criticism as early as 2011
for its unusual conditions and difficulties in booking plots, it wasn't
until Dec, 2017 that corruption charges came to the fore. NAB
spotted illegalities in a land deal between between Paragon
Housing Society and the Punjab Land Development Company
(PLDC) and summoned Cheema. The former LDA chief recorded
his statement in the case, following which NAB summoned
Shahbaz in January, 2018 to inquire further.
o Former President Asif Zardari & his sister Faryal Talpur
 Fake bank accounts case
 Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur were said to be involved in
using the fake accounts for suspicious transactions and arrested
before granting bail recently.
 The FIA uncovered more than a 100 'benami' accounts in Summit
Bank, Sindh Bank and UBL that were used to launder about Rs35
billion. As the investigation progressed, the sum was revealed to be
Rs54 billion.
o Khursheed Shah arrested in assets beyond their declared sources of
income.
o Maryam Nawaz’s arrest by NAB in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
o Rana Sanaullah was arrested by ANF in a narcotics case involving
banned outfits.
 According to a statement by the ANF spokesperson, drugs were
also recovered from his vehicle; in a video message, the
information minister said the cache was worth between Rs150m to
Rs200m.
o National Accountability Bureau also arrested the PML-N’s Hamza
Shahbaz.
o National Accountability Bureau also arrested former PM Shahid Khaqan
Abbasi.
 o Currently around 71 politicians and bureaucrats are being investigated by
NAB. The list includes the names of five former prime ministers, former
and serving chief ministers including Sindh CM Syed Murad Ali Shah, civil
bureaucrats and the public office holders.
 19 from Sindh, 18 from KPK, 9 From Baluchistan rest are from
Punjab.
 Regrettably, in this country, the court of public opinion has a tendency to assume
that all politicians are guilty of wrongdoing. But institutions must not operate
under that impulse. They have a responsibility to build airtight cases with
legitimate evidence that will hold in a court of law and ensure that these cases
proceed in a transparent and efficient manner.
 There are certainly more professional methods that investigating bodies can
employ to probe these individuals — who now include a former prime minister
and a former president. Going after opposition politicians in this manner, without
solid evidence, is tantamount to harassment of the worst kind.
 Two of the eight international organisations, which contribute in the assessment
of Transparency International’s annual global report on corruption, in their 2019
reports have already assessed Pakistan as more corrupt than ever.
 On the corruption index of the World Economic Forum’s recent report, the
ranking of Pakistan slipped from 99 to 101. The corruption index ranking dropped
because of registration of more corruption related cases.
 The NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Justice Javed Iqbal has also stated, “The
figures of complaints, inquiries and investigations are almost double as
compared to the same period of 2018.”
10. Economy of Pakistan:
1. Financial Outlook:

Macro-Economic Indicators 2018-19

Sr. No. Classification FY- 2019
1 Population (with Growth rate of 2.4%) 218 million
2 GDP (declined) 3.3 %
3 Agriculture (declined) 0.85 %
4 Industry (declined) 1.4 %
5 Inflation (Increased) 12.3 %
6 Poverty (Increased) 24 %
7 Trade Deficit USD -8.00 B
(Exports USD 10 B while Imports USD 18 B) Nov-19
8 Current Account Deficit Nov-19 USD -319 m
9 Currency Depreciation 25 %
10 Fiscal Deficit 8.8 %
11 Total Foreign Investment (declined from 5681 m in 2018) USD 251 m
12 Foreign Direct Investment USD 1668 m
13 Foreign Portfolio Investment (Private) USD -415 m
14 Foreign Portfolio Investment (Public) USD -1002 m
15 Unemployment (Increased) 6.1 %
16 Total Debt and Liabilities (104 % of GDP) Rs. 40 Trillion
i- Total Debt (Interest Payment is Rs. 2 trillion+) Rs. 38 Trillion
ii- Liabilities (Interest Payment is Rs. 74.9 billion) Rs. 2 Trillion
17 Debt eat almost or more than 30 % of Annual Budget
18 Budget Deficit 8.9 %
19 Debt to GDP ratio 78% projected

 The government’s economic team’s hard work had indeed yielded some fruit, as
the economy has started moving towards the path of stability, but there is still a
long way to go before Pakistan can claim that it has ‘fixed’ the economy.
 Prices for most goods are still sky high – and not only due to hoarding as claimed
by the Prime Minister. High levels of indirect taxes and increased costs of
production have led to an overall rise in inflation in locally produced products,
while increased taxes on imports and the devaluation of the rupee (which has
more or less stabilised) obviously lead to a rise in the cost of imports.
 However, this last factor has led to a marked decrease in Pakistan’s trade deficit
–a whopping 34% – with the current rate of $7.7 billion finally reaching the
globally accepted levels, and for this the government should be commended.
 All good news related to the economy is currently a mixed bag, as the very slim
increase of $0.27 billion in exports tells us. A 3.84% increase in exports is not
nearly enough to rejuvenate the economy and provide it with the necessary
injection of funds it needs. While the government has indeed managed to clamp
down on imports as promised, it must work harder to increase Pakistan’s exports
in the international market.
 The decrease in imports and the government’s taxation measures has also
adversely affected business. Pakistan’s domestic production would normally be a
substitute for the imports, but given our failure to increase local productive
capacity, this is not currently happening. The government must start moving
towards phase two of revitalizing the economy, which might necessitate
abandoning the severe measures and increasing government spending in a bid
to boost economic activity in the country.
 There are other indicators that have posted a poor showing as well. Pakistan’s
external debts and liabilities continue to increase, although as a percentage of
GDP they have declined.
 The scariest aspect of Pakistan’s debt however, is our debt-servicing
requirement, which has now crossed the $3 billion mark. What all of this tells us
is that, Pakistan’s economy is looking much better than it was this time last year,
but it is not even close to being out of the doldrums yet. More is needed from the
government and it is hoped that the country’s economic team is up to the task.

2. Asia, Pacific Economic Growth:

 Global economic growth is presently under dark clouds due to man-made
policies and deliberately created environments which hinder and stall rather than
promote and flourish international trade thereby helping global economic growth.
 The signs of Recession in USA are getting more clearer and dominant,
prompting Fed to cut interest rates twice within current year.
 Across the Atlantic, Brexit has played havoc with not only the UK economy but
has seriously jolted the European power house — Germany and equally affected
Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain.
 The World Bank and IMF along with OECD have revised down wards the growth
rate in Europe and USA, thrice during the last ten months and repeatedly warned
of the fragility of future outlook.
 All of these institutions cite trade wars as the main reason for this bleak outlook
and derailing the global economic growth. It is, however, interesting that much of
the effects of these manmade crisis are affecting Europe and Americas while
Asian economies do not seem to be showing signs of weakness of that
magnitude.
 While the growth rate in Europe and USA is down to 2.6%, the Asian economies
are still achieving a rate of almost 6-7% which in the present scenario is
remarkable.
 According to a recent Asian Development Bank report, developing Asia will
maintain strong but moderating growth over 2019 and 2020, as supportive
domestic demand counteracts an environment of global trade tensions.
 In a supplement to its Asian Development Outlook (ADO), ADB maintains growth
forecasts for developing Asia at 5.7% in 2019 and 5.6% in 2020 unchanged from
its April forecast. These growth rates are slightly down from developing Asia’s
5.9% growth in 2018, mainly due to uncertainties.

3. Restoring Economy:
 There have been distinct indicators that, slowly but surely, the economy is on the
mend. Despite some persistent troubles, such as low growth in exports, the twin
monsters of trade and fiscal deficit appear to have been largely reined in.
 According to a quarterly review of how the nation’s economy fared, the two
indicators have shown improvement. The trade deficit shrank 35% while the
budget deficit shriveled 36% during the first quarter of the current fiscal year
(July-September) when compared to the corresponding period of last year.
 The ‘difficult decisions’ taken by the government have started showing positive
results, although the issue of inflation that has harried the people no end, and the
constant decline in foreign direct investment (FDI) is still challenge to the
government.
 The federal budget deficit that had been recorded at Rs738 billion or 1.9% of
GDP in the first quarter of the last fiscal year, was brought down to Rs476 billion
or 1.1% of GDP, said the finance adviser. As a result, the government has also
met the International Monetary Fund (IMF) condition on the primary deficit.
 The fiscal deficit narrowed down due to increase in revenues and reduction in
expenditures. Officials revealed that Rs406 billion had been collected in non-tax
revenue which was a 140% increase over the previous year. The exchange rate
had been brought to a stable level over the past three months, as also the foreign
exchange reserves.

4. Economic Turnaround:
 PTI government has taken right policy decisions for reviving the economy as their
implementation has started bearing fruit, which is obvious from the economic
indicators. The government measures included documentation of economy to
increase tax revenue, discouraging luxury imports and increase exports to control
trade deficit.
 The inter-bank market rupee has stabilized around Rs. 156 per US dollar; and
the KSE-100 index has crossed 34000 points, which shows confidence of
investors.
 On the completion of first quarter FBR collected Rs. 960 billion in the first quarter
of current fiscal year 2019/2020, which is about 90% of the target for the quarter
and the imports had been contracted by $3 billion during the period.
 Pakistan’s current account deficit has decreased by 64 per cent for the first
quarter of the financial year 2019-20, due to the reduction in the trade gap
between imports and exports.
 According to the State Bank of Pakistan, the current account deficit has narrowed
to $1.548 billion in July to September 2019 as compared to $4.287 billion
recorded last financial year, showing a massive difference of $2.739 billion.
 The remittances from Pakistani expatriates in the first quarter stood at $5.47
billion; hence total remittances are likely to be more than $22 billion for the year.
 IMF program-related inflows and Saudi oil facility helped build SBP’s foreign
exchange reserves.
 The improvement in exports is due to devaluation, and with inflows of
remittances and consistent control over imports may further stabilize the situation
of balance-of-payments in the coming months.
 Prime Minister Imran Khan met the executives and teams of a number of world
leading companies like Exxon group and AKD group – a security company which
is owned by a Pakistani American and convinced them to invest in Pakistan,
which is a lucrative market. Exxon Mobil, the world’s biggest Oil &Gas Company
has already announced that it will reinvest in Pakistani market after a gap of
nearly three decades.
 New tourism zones are being formed in KP; 20 new tourist spots have been
identified in KP.
 Industrial sectors profit year ending 30th June 2019:
o Banking Rs. 147 bn,
o Cement Rs. 31bn,
o Auto sector Rs. 121bn;
o Oil & Gas Rs. 221bn;
o Fertilizer Rs. 68bn; and
o Power Rs. 27bn.
 PIA completes overhauling of Boeing 777 indigenously; government awards
license to foreign firms for renewable energy projects. FBR struck a deal with
UAE government for exchanging details of Pakistani asset owners; issue of
Aqama abuse is also being handled.
 Global investors bought Pakistan’s local currency bonds for $342 million i.e.
Portfolio Investment. Total export quantity increased by 12%, in 2019 YoY basis;
textile exports cross $13 bn due to 26% increase in quantity. Imports fall by
20.5% and exports increased by 2.7% and telecom sector revenue will be Rs.
338 bn.
 Due to the flawed economic policies of the previous governments, Pakistan’s
external debt had mounted to around $90 billion; economic reserves (including
 SBP and commercial banks) had declined to $12 bn, not enough for even three
months imports.
 As regards payment of installments of previous loans, the country was on the
verge of default. Therefore, government had to approach Pakistan’s friends
Saudi Arabia and the UAE who were generous to deposit $2 bn each in State
Bank of Pakistan in addition to supply of oil on deferred payment basis.
 It is important to recount the achievements and measures by the government to
put economy on the path to recovery and to increase employment opportunities,
which includes:
o Pakistan Post launching of National Internship Program with 35000
vacancies.
o Textile industry showed 26% growth in quantitative terms according to
APTMA.
o Remittances in September 2019 increased by 17.5% compared to
September 2018.
 Despite financial constraints, the government is alive to the problems faced by
the people; hence it is focusing on education sector and other projects for the
welfare of the people. As many as 7000 children were enrolled in Islamabad
under a campaign led by Federal Education Ministry. First balloting of Naya
Pakistan Housing Scheme in Lodhran took place, and to start with 700 people
awarded and 100 kept on waiting list.

5. Pakistan improves ranking:

 Pakistan emerged as one of the biggest improvers in World Bank’s latest Ease of
Doing Business Index 2020, jumping up 28 places on the index and clinching the
108th position, as compared to 136th spot last year.
 The improvement in ranking is due to the hard work done by the economic team
of the Government and complementary measures taken by the governments of
Punjab and Sindh, as highlighted in the World Bank report also.
 The reforms that helped the country improve its ranking are, of course, important.
Pakistan has made starting a business easier by expanding the functionalities of
the online one-stop-shop. This reduced the number of procedures required to set
 up a business from 10 to five and improved the economy’s score for starting a
business.
 There is still a long way to gain economic stability and the desired progress
requires elimination of corruption from ministries and departments dealing with
approvals and licensing as well as provision of necessary infrastructure and
facilities to investors. Cost of input and higher interest rates are also impeding
investment and the Government should review this aspect as well.
 Investment is a key to industrialization and Pakistan can address its economic
woes by attracting investment in different sectors of economy by taking required
measures and projecting them in right perspective.

6. Inflation rebasing:
 Nine-year high inflation a serious threat to stagnant economy, SBP’s tight
monetary policy has no effect on the prices of food items that are increasing
because of supply shocks, increase in sales tax rates and monopoly of few
businesses.
 The Businessmen Panel (BMP) of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of
Commerce and Industry has stressed the need for reducing cost of doing
business, besides evolving a new price control mechanism, as huge taxation,
rising oil prices and constant jump in electricity and gas tariffs have lifted the
inflation to nine-year high level of 12.7 percent in November.
 Moreover, a persistently high inflation also causes erosion of the value of the
local currency in terms of foreign currencies. Such uncertainties, in turn, have
adverse implications for economic activities.
 It is to be noted that the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics calculates inflation index by
monitoring prices of more than 350 commodities in 35 cities and 244 goods in 27
rural markets.

7. Protecting the Poor:

 The reality shaping up for the poor is a dire one. Inflation has reached to the nine
years high at 13%, while the price of petrol and diesel has seen another major
hike, even though international crude prices are dropping. It is common
 knowledge that the poor are hit hardest by inflation, and that the government
must attach importance to their interests and vulnerabilities when it formulates its
economic policies.
 For the moment, it is apparent that the march of inflation is set to continue as the
impact of the recent fuel price increase will now work its way through various
price levels. In fact, further fuel and power tariff hikes lie in wait in the months
ahead.
 The commitment to social protection schemes that the government has given to
the IMF is also little more than window dressing, considering the scale of the
difficulties that are being hoisted upon the poor. Close to 55m Pakistanis live
below the poverty line, while the programmes mentioned in the IMF agreement
cover only a few million at best. Far larger thinking is required to protect this
group from the ravages of the adjustment that the government has launched.

8. FATF Challenge & economy:

 Pakistan has avoided being blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force
(FATF), thanks to the staunch support by Turkey, China and Malaysia. The
country however will remain on the ‘grey list’ until February 2020.
 The friends of Pakistan reportedly put their weight behind Islamabad and counted
the steps it had taken to counter money laundering and terror financing, thereby
frustrating India’s efforts to damage Pakistan’s interests.
 The decision to keep the county on the grey list means that Pakistan will escape
the tough sanctions on its banking system that would have accompanied any
downgrade to the FATF blacklist.
 Pakistan has been on the global money laundering watchdog’s radar since June
2018, when it was placed on a grey list, after an assessment of the country’s
financial system and security mechanism. The move backed by the US, the UK,
and Pakistan’s arch-rival India was opposed by Turkey. Islamabad’s long-time
ally, China abstained.
 In recent months, Pakistan acted in accordance with the action plan, which
includes measures like no foreign currency transactions without a national tax
 number, and ban on currency change of up to $500 in the open currency market
without submission of national identity card copy. Islamabad has also proscribed
several militant groups and seized their assets.
 FATF however said the country has until February to improve its counter-terror
financing operations in line with an internationally agreed plan or face actions
against it, failing which could result in its blacklisting. Pakistan has only largely
addressed five of 27 action items, with varying levels of progress made on the
rest of the action plan, according to a statement.
 Some experts believe that retention on the grey list also would have negative
consequences for Pakistan as every international financial transaction with the
country would be closely scrutinized and doing business in Pakistan would
become costly.
 “FATF is pressuring Pakistan so that it can bring the Taliban to a peace
settlement. The ‘black list’ threat is being used to force Pakistan to serve
American interests,” said an analyst.
 The breather Pakistan has gained however is likely to disappoint neighbour and
rival India, which has long argued and lobbied at previous FATF meetings that
Pakistan belongs on the blacklist.
 Along with taking preemptive measurements Pakistan is busy in diplomatic ways
to get support of all other key players to get out of grey list in February. In this
connection FM has visited US and FM official of US recently visited Pakistan
which shows a sign of dire support from the US in upcoming FATF encounter.

9. Managing security & economy:

 Prime Minister Imran Khan visited to Iran and China, where economic and
security cooperation was among the major points of discussion. In particular,
Pakistan anticipates more relief from Beijing, mainly in terms of an early launch
of the Special Economic Zones under the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC).
 China is considerate of Pakistan’s economic woes. However, Chinese investors
demand the award of projects on softer terms and on a fast track. They also
 consider investment in the country risky. Their main concern is the prevailing
insecurity in Balochistan where a multitude of separatist and religiously inspired
militant groups are creating an environment detrimental to the implementation of
CPEC projects and the functioning of the Gwadar port.
 The recent attack on security officials travelling on the Makran coastal highway,
which is considered a safe highway in the province, will certainly add to Chinese
concerns. The Baloch insurgents have perpetrated some high-impact attacks in
recent times, including a few suicide blasts, which have started to defy that the
Baloch insurgency is a low-scale conflict. Secondly, Baloch separatist groups
have started to launch joint attacks; the latest one, hitting security personnel on
the coastal highway, was also claimed by an alliance of three separatist groups.
 The timing of the attack will not help Prime Minister Khan convince the Chinese
and Iranian leaders of an improving security situation in Balochistan. Border
security will be the high point of the Iranian diplomatic call during the prime
minister’s visit to Tehran. China, too, is concerned about insecurity at the
Pakistani- Iranian border, which has become a hub of separatist and religiously
motivated as well as criminal groups. This is not only causing geostrategic
complications, it is also impeding progress on CPEC-related projects in coastal
areas of the province.
 Iran alleges that a Saudi-backed separatist group, Jaishul Adl, is operating from
Pakistan and attacking Iranian security forces. The group launched an attack in
February, killing 27 members of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and
provoked tensions between the two countries.
 Pakistan also has concerns about recurrent border violations by Iranian border
security forces. In 2018, Iranian border security forces carried out six cross-
border attacks in Balochistan’s Chagai, Gwadar and Panjgur districts, compared
to 12 such attacks in 2017. Shelling by the Iranian security guards causes much
physical damage, affecting residents living along the border; sometimes it leads
to the complete suspension of daily activities.
 Despite complicated border security issues, both sides can still develop an
effective bilateral mechanism to check cross-border incursions by all shades of
 separatist and Islamist militants. The agendas and objectives of different brands
of militants operating along the Pakistan-Iran border are known to both countries,
which they can counter by working jointly. In retrospect, Iran and Pakistan have
done that in past, during the regimes of Raza Shah and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the
mid-1970s, by launching an extensive security operation against the militants.
 Pakistan needs CPEC to sustain its economy. The worsening economic
condition is forcing the country to put the economic focus back on CPEC. China
wants to make the Belt and Road Initiative a success story, and CPEC is an
integral part of that. China realises that Pakistan has the potential to put CPEC
back on the fast track. It will boost the confidence of the BRI’s potential
stakeholders who are reluctant at the moment to become partners in the
initiative. Still, security will remain at the heart of any potential outcome of
renewed economic cooperation between Pakistan and China.

10.Vote of Confidence From IMF:

 AS anticipated, Pakistan has successfully completed its first-quarterly review with
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the $6 billion Extended Fund
Facility (EFF) finalised in May this year, and reached a staff-level agreement.
 The approval will lead to the disbursement of a second tranche amounting $450
million (equivalent to around 328m IMF special drawing rights) in early
December. The IMF expects this to unlock significant funding from bilateral and
multilateral partners.
 A positive note from the IMF is expected to help Pakistan when it goes to the
international capital market, which is currently offering lucratively lower interest
rates. Pakistan has set a target of generating about $3bn bonds from the global
market during the current fiscal year ending June 2020. The first launch could be
as early as December.
 “The near-term macroeconomic outlook is broadly unchanged from the time of
the program approval, with gradually strengthening activity and average inflation
expected to decelerate to 11.8 per cent in FY2020. However, domestic and
international risks remain, and structural economic challenges persist.”
 The Fund warned that “fiscal prudence needs to be maintained to reduce fiscal
vulnerabilities, including by carefully executing the FY20 budget, implementing
the new Public Finance Management legislation, and continuing to broaden the
tax base by removing preferential tax treatments and exemptions”.

11.Growing Tax Collection and its Target:

 The IMF’s refusal to reduce the annual tax collection target for the ongoing fiscal
year must be worrying for the government — and the people too. As confirmed
by FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi, the government last month asked the Fund to
allow an Rs300 billion cut in the tax collection target for FY20 — to Rs5.2 trillion
from an ambitious Rs5.5 trillion. While the IMF has refused the requested
downward revision, the FBR chairman has told the Senate’s Standing Committee
on Finance and Revenue during a recent appearance that he is optimistic the
government will be able to bring around the global lender.
 The FBR is doing a good job under Shabbar Zaidi, but not good enough to meet
what is perceived by experts as an unrealistic target. The ongoing economic
slowdown, done mainly through import compression, makes the target even
more difficult to achieve, as cut in imports means cut in duties and a shortfall in
overall revenue collection.
 According to provisional estimates, the FBR has collected Rs1.28 trillion in taxes
in the July-October period of the ongoing fiscal year as against the target of
Rs1.447 trillion, thus falling short of its four-month target by Rs167 billion. Going
by this rate, the shortfall for the full fiscal year comes to something around Rs668
billion.
11. Business Sector in Pakistan:
1. Business ease in Pakistan:
 Pakistan has gained 28 places to rise to the rank of 108 on the World Bank’s
Ease of Doing Business Index 2020 in addition to securing a slot among the top
10 nations with the most improved business climate.
 The regulatory reforms implemented under the accelerated reform agenda have
made starting a business easier, simplified the approval process for obtaining a
construction permit and ensured regular building quality inspections. They have
also introduced online payment modules for value-added taxes and corporate
income taxes, besides reducing the number of taxes and levies from 47 to 34.
 It is also easier and faster now to get an electricity connection and register
property, and so on. The ‘ease of doing business’ reforms are expected to
facilitate small and medium enterprises, and the higher EODBI ranking is likely to
help improve the country’s image.
 However, while the reforms look great on paper and the government has been
praised by global lenders, there are still areas of concern, such as the
enforcement of contracts where Pakistan needs to work harder to make progress
and further improve its position.
 The ground reality is that the reforms ‘enacted’ so far remain confined to official
files only. The government, for example, may have made it easier on paper for
firms to get an electricity connection, but investors, especially small- and
medium-sized companies, continue to face the same old bureaucratic red tape
when they apply for a connection. They still cannot get electricity without paying
a substantial price to the authorities to avoid delays.
 While promoting an environment to facilitate business is crucial to reducing the
time required for setting up a venture and cutting costs, this alone cannot
convince an investor — local or foreign — to start pouring money into the
country. If the EODBI ranking were the only or the most important factor in
attracting investment, Bangladesh with its rank of 168 on the index would not
have seen global brands racing towards it.
 There are several other factors, such as political stability, rule of law,
international country perception, etc, that hugely affect investment choices.
These factors influence the investors’ decision more than the EODBI ranking of a
country, even if the latter is on the top of their ‘check list’. The government must
do all it can to address the shortcomings and remove the hurdles.

2. State of SMEs in Pakistan:

 The economic growth of developing and emerging economies is invariably
tangled with the growth of their small and medium enterprises (SME’s). Countries
such as Japan, China, Brazil, India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, among others, have
heavily relied on SME development for economic growth, through adoption of
intensive policies and strategic private sector development. Therefore, given the
rightly guided policies and stringent implementation, SME sector can become the
back bone of Pakistan’s economy.
 Though, due to our traditional lack of planning, fatalist attitude and peculiar
dislike towards data collection and its analysis – little information is available.
According to some careful estimates:
o Pakistan’s estimated 3.6 million SME’s accounts for almost 90 percent of
all private business entities.
o It gives employment to about 80% of non- agriculture workforce.
o The SME contribution to GDP is about 40 percent.
o SME’s typically account for 4 out of 5 jobs created.
 Additionally, the SME numbers are being used as economic indicators by the
entities like world Bank, Asian Development Bank and UNDP. Typically, they use
the number of SME’s per thousand people in an economy. Pakistan has 20
SME’s as compared with 32 in India.
 It is particularly terrible to learn that the last SME policy was given some thirteen
years ago in 2007 by the government. This indicates the lack of interest in such a
vital sector of our economy which can also be detrimental to allay our financial
woes.
 The present PTI government needs to adopt a pentangular approach in this
regard. They have to target the issue from multiple angles to get the desired
results.
o Firstly, the government needs to strategize its preferences to facilitate and
help SME’s in various sectors as world has changed altogether in the last
decade after the emergence of 2007 policy. For this a new SME policy is
the need of the hour. The policy should envisage the strategic visions,
goals and clear objectives to be achieved in the next few years.
o Second is the triple helix focus on politico-legal, regulatory and monetary
environment. After the promulgation of eighteenth amendment many
subjects have been devolved to the respective provincial governments
which directly relate with the development of SME’s. The Federal
government should take the lead in cutting the political barriers to identify
the potential areas of convergence with the provincial governments.
o On regulatory front, it is scary to learn that the SME’s in Pakistan have to
face of a host of more than 50 taxes and their related regulatory laws and
departments. Federal Board of Investment and its respective counterparts
can take the lead to come up with practical suggestions for ease of doing
business in Pakistan.
o The monetary environment also needs focus. Out of an estimated 3.2
Million SME’s, only 1.8 m has access to formal financing through banking
sector. This can be changed by State Bank of Pakistan in conjunction with
other commercial banks to simplify the interest regime by introducing
certain SME indicators in the credit evaluation criteria to give a handicap
to the SME’s. It should be a holistic effort and should not be left only with
SME Bank and other smaller entities.
o There has to be keen impetus on developing of capacity of technical as
well a human capital. Many industrialists have been complaining on the
poor quality of human resource available in the market. There should be
holistic capacity development programs on specialized key disciplines.
 o A culture of entrepreneurship should be encouraged in Pakistan. This can
be done by forging and developing relations with HEC, academia, think
tanks and various trade and industry organizations. There has to be wave
of techno parks, innovation centers and commercialization.
o Finally, market constraints should be taken by the horns. Typically, SME’s
have less access to information and communication channels; and they
face difficulties complying with labor, environmental, social, and
international standards therefore, operate in limited markets. There is a
cumbersome payment processing system particularly if the payments
have to cross borders.
 We need a strong and thriving SME sector which is indispensable for a country
like Pakistan with high employment ratio, lower levels of capital, youth
abundance and partially developed large scale industries. If other nations like
India, China and Brazil can do it, why we can’t?

3. E-commerce in Pakistan:
 With the advancement of technology and the availability of the fastest internet
connections at our disposal, the entire world is virtually at our fingertips. Due to
these innovations, the concept of globalisation emerged and the world is getting
more and more integrated with every passing day, we are now the citizens of the
global village. This integration process, with the help of these technological tools,
gave rise to e-commerce–a virtual space where buyers and sellers exchange
goods and services. On the one hand, this market is booming in different
countries while it has not yet realised its full potential in Pakistan.
 In developed countries, e-commerce has almost replaced the traditional markets
by offering online goods and services. For instance, Alibaba and Amazon are
connecting buyers and sellers by providing them with space at their platforms.
This has also facilitated the consumers to seek the products of their choice at the
most competitive rates and even without physically visiting the markets.
 More often, the consumers have to struggle to find the products of their choice
keeping in view the variety, price and quality. They run up to many shops and
markets in search and procurement of that article. Thus, e-commerce has
 facilitated to acquire that product with one click on our computer screens or
phone calls as e-commerce and tele-business are interlinked. Not to speak of
saving-time. After all, “time is like money or even more precious than that”.
 The finalisation and approval of the first-ever e-commerce policy framework is a
positive development. The policy framework focuses on protecting both the
consumers and online retailers, implementing more effective regulations without
hampering the growth of this industry, promoting financial inclusion and digitising
payments, harmonising taxes, and creating new jobs.
 The good thing is that the policy has been developed after extensive
consultations with private- and public- sector stakeholders. These have included
e-commerce companies, the central bank, FBR, the ministries of IT and
commerce, etc. Therefore, we see broad agreement by online retailers on the
measures proposed in the framework to regulate the industry in such a way that
it continues on its rapid growth trajectory.
 Online shopping in Pakistan has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years due
to advancements in communication technology, including the expansion of
internet access and branchless banking.
 The size of online retail business in the country is estimated to have grown to
anywhere between Rs50bn and Rs100bn. The rapid increase in the popularity of
e- commerce has also led many brick-and-mortar retailers, major brands and
individuals to start their own online retail shops to reach out to the emerging
market of online buyers.
 In spite of this significant rise in technology-driven business-to-consumer
transactions, the size of the online market in Pakistan is minute when compared
to what it is in China and India. In India, e- commerce retail sales are estimated
at $38bn, while in China these stand at a staggering $1.5tr. Also, the Chinese
and Indian markets have seen a huge influx of foreign investment in this sector.
 In contrast, foreign investors are reluctant to invest in the industry in Pakistan
because of connectivity problems as well as infrastructural and regulatory issues
that impede the repatriation of their profits. The framework does not help in
tackling such issues.
 All the same, we have a policy that can help grow this industry, safeguard the
interest of consumers and mobilise significant tax revenues for the government.
The next step is its implementation. Many remain sceptical on this count because
our bureaucracy is not known for the execution of policies. The framework needs
further refinement but that will be possible only when it is put into action.
12. Poverty Eradication in Pakistan:
 The launch of a poverty-alleviation programme under the compassion has
caused a flutter in millions of hearts in the country because poverty deprives a
very large segment of the population of Pakistan the joys of living.
 Imran Khan-led government has focused more on poverty eradication than any
other programme. Without disturbing the landmark poverty alleviation project of
the Benazir Income Support Programme, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
government initiated its own projects – innovative and sustainable.
 Panahgahs have been functional in major cities to provide shelter to the
homeless, while Ehsaas is on its way to a phased completion to provide instant
supplies of food, clothing, education, health and subsistence to deserving people.
 These steps reflect the government’s determination in pursuing Article 38 (d) of
the Constitution under which the state is to ensure citizens’ access to
fundamental rights such as shelter, clothing, health and education.
 Despite facing hard financial issues, the PTI government cut development
allocations in the budget for 2019-20 but still allocated Rs80 billion for the
underprivileged segments of society. In 2020, the sum would be increased to
Rs120 billion.
 The government plans to complete by December a survey to identify the poor
and poverty-stricken areas. Poverty is not a new subject in public debate. The
government should be aware of the studies on poverty alleviation done by
national and international institutions and Pakistan’s leading economists. That
eradication of poverty means removal of inequalities caused by domicile, belief
and gender distinctions is now accepted as a fundamental reality. The country
needs to reduce inequalities to an extent that even the hindmost are able to
enjoy an adequate livelihood.
 The government, through its Ehsaas programme, has several policy windows
such as the “National Poverty Graduation Initiative, financial inclusion strategy,
and prize funds for innovative solutions such as garbage collecting rickshaws to
create jobs.
 Still, state’s capacity to fight poverty is far from the desired goal. The private
sector, though, has partnered with the government in its Langar programme, but
its corporate social responsibility programme needs to be streamlined,
scrutinized and documented.
 Pakistan has made a name in charity, and in every nook and corner, charity work
is ongoing selflessly. These initiatives must be documented under a
governmental window so that they are facilitated and strengthened. The creation
of a poverty alleviation ministry can do the needful.
 Moving from instant relief to the provision of jobs and other basic needs, the
government will need to pursue pragmatic targets of holistic socio-economic
development to eradicate poverty.
 CPEC is likely to bring about a new phase of jobs and other opportunities, which
will in turn raise the standard of living. We can learn a lot from China in
agriculture, livestock, fishery, and other sectors which engage people from the
broken segments.
 To meet the modern challenges and opportunities of CPEC, it is time for
technical and vocational education and training programmes. Poverty reduction
is a huge task which needs iron political will and commitment. The good thing is
the government has made it a top priority.
13. Education in Pakistan:
1. Overview of Education System in Pakistan:
 It is time to visit the status of education, particularly since the 18th amendment
has made it the state’s responsibility to provide free and compulsory education to
all children of the age of 5-16 years.
 Service delivery in the education sector is primarily the responsibility of provincial
governments post the 18th amendment. After doing away with the concurrent
legislative list in the constitution; planning, policy, curriculum, and standards are
now in the purview of provincial governments while interprovincial coordination,
standards in higher education, and all regulatory authorities under a federal law
are still with the center. The federal government is also entrusted with a role to
promote national cohesion in education.
 Teachers are considered to be most critical factor in imparting quality education
to students and there is weak teacher accountability. According to the latest
ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) survey, 13% teachers in the surveyed
public schools and 11% teachers in the surveyed private schools were found to
be absent. The public educational system has internal governance issues. One
of the reasons behind teachers’ absenteeism could be the politics of patronage.
There is need to institute effective planning, management and monitoring to deal
with weak governance structures.
 In terms of public education reforms, some provincial governments have
undertaken credible interventions. In Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, monitors
visit schools every month and publish their results and the teacher absenteeism
has gone down as the result of these efforts.
 Despite efforts, there are still challenges. The net enrolment rates (NER) in
primary education have remained static and there has been even a decrease in
enrolment in some provinces. There is also geographical deprivation reflected in
the disaggregated enrolment statistics. Less developed areas lag behind in NER
than the national average. The highest percentage of OOSC (out-of-school
children) belongs to Balochistan and FATA.
 As per ASER statement based on secondary sources, there are still 22.8 million
out of school children (OOSC); 12.2 million girls and 10.6 million boys. Though,
the percentage of OOSC has slightly gone down (17% in 2018) compared to
earlier (19% in the previous year). In other words, 83% of children (6-16 years)
are enrolled in schools (77% in government schools, 20% in private schools, and
3% in Madrassahs). Boys’ enrolment is higher than girls’ enrolment.
 According to the results of ASER’s survey of learning outcomes, it has slightly
improved in 2018, compared to 2016. Children in class 5 were tested to read a
class 2 level story in Urdu or regional languages. Slightly less children (44%)
could not read the story than before (48%), leading to the assumption that slightly
more could read.
 Children were also tested for English and arithmetic learning. Private schools’
students performed better than public schools, boys outperformed girls in literacy
and numeracy, and children belonging to richest quartile have highest
percentage of enrolment and the poorest quartile has the lowest.
 Gender intersects with poverty as girls even in the poorest households are more
likely to have lower enrolment (46%) compared to the boys (67%). A sizeable
number of government primary schools lack essential facilities such as the
toilets, drinking water, boundary walls and playgrounds.
 According to some recent literature, it might be better to teach children in the
languages they understand, rather than teaching them badly in English. A study
of historical data reveals that two extra years of schooling in mother-tongue
raised the literacy and returns to it. Some provincial governments in the past
announced to opt for English-medium route. However, PTI government in Punjab
wants to reverse it and wants to introduce a new Urdu-medium curriculum.
 Private schooling option is not limited to elite only. Private schools cater to low-
income group as well. For example, in Punjab, there are both public and private
schools as multiple options. Tahir Andrabi, Asim Khwaja and co-authors’
research on education has pro-market orientation to it. According to them,
availability of low-fee private schools is the “most significant development.”
 Parents actively demand education for their children. This rise in private
schooling is often possible due to low salaries that female teachers are willing to
accept in their local areas due to lack of opportunities outside (in other words,
they are being exploited but leading to better options for students).
 Boom in the private education can be further improved by alleviating the
constraints and providing better access to resources, information, and improving
the regulatory framework.
 In terms of the way forward, the education framework has identified four priority
areas:
o Decrease OOSC,
o Bring about uniformity in education,
o Improve the quality, and
o Enhance skills trainings.
 Just to illustrate one priority area – to decrease OOSC; the Framework
emphasizes to focus on disadvantaged districts by maximizing the use of existing
school infrastructure, introducing afternoon shifts, improving missing facilities,
providing better access to secondary education especially for girls, better
targeting of BISP’s Waseela-e-Taleem, better utilisation of stipend for girls,
supporting the provincial governments, launching educational internship
programs, mobilizing the community, and tracking results, amongst others. It sets
agenda in a similar way for other declared priority areas.
 For any policy to work, it has to make an explicit policy goal of improving learning
outcomes. It might also be useful to research how some provincial governments
in Pakistan are achieving better outcomes in education than others. It could help
the provincial governments to learn from each other’s education governance and
management.

2. Educational Institutions and enrollment:

 Overall education condition is based on key performance indicators such as
enrolment rates, number of institutes and teachers which experienced marginal
improvement.
 o The total enrolment in all educational institution in the country was 50.6
million compared to 48.0 million during 2016-17 an increase of 5.3
percent.
o The number of institutions is projected to increase by 1.6 percent in 2018-
19, leading to an increase of 4.8 percent in aggregate enrolment.
o The total number of teachers during 2017-18 was 1.75 million compared
to 1.7 million during last year showing an increase of 1.6 percent. This
number of teachers is estimated to increase by 2.9 percent to 1.8 million
during the year 2018-19.

i- Pre-Primary Education:
 Pre-Primary education is the basic step for Early Childhood Education (ECE).
Preparatory class is meant for children between 3 to 4 years of age. At the
national level, an increase of 7.3 percent is observed in pre-primary enrolment
which went up to 12.3m in 2017-18 compared to 11.4m in 2016-17. Enrolment is
estimated to increase further by 6.4 percent i.e. from 12.3 to 13m in 2018-19.

ii- Primary Education:

 Primary education is from class I to Class V. In 2017-18, there were a total of 172
thousand functioning primary schools, with 519 thousand teachers, across the
country. These schools had an overall enrollment of 22.9 million students with an
increase of 5.5 percent over the previous year. This enrollment is projected to
increase to 23.9 million (i.e. by 4.4 percent) in 2018-19.

iii- Middle Education:

 Middle education is from class VI to Class VIII. There were 46.8 thousand middle
schools in the country in 2017-18, with 439 thousand teachers. Overall
enrollment of 7.3 million showing an increase of 4.3 percent over enrolment level
of 2016-17. This enrolment is estimated to increase by another 3.7 percent to 7.6
million in 2018-19.

iii- Secondary/ High School Education:

 Secondary/ High School Education is from class IX to X. A total of 30.9 thousand
high schools, with 556.6 thousand teachers, were functional in the country during
 2017-18. High school enrolment, at 3.9 million, represents an increase of 7.4
over enrolment level of 3.6 million in 2016-17. The high school enrolment is
estimated to increase by 6.6 percent to 4.1 million in 2018-19.

iv- Higher Secondary / Inter Colleges:

 Higher Secondary / Inter Colleges are for class XI and XII. A total of 5.2 thousand
higher secondary schools/inter colleges, with a teacher population of 122
thousand, were functioning all over the country in 2017-18. The overall enrolment
of 1.75 million in these schools represents a healthy increase of 9.8 percent over
enrolment level of 2016-17. This enrolment is expected by another 5.0 percent
(to 1.84 million) in 2018-19.

v- Technical & Vocational Institutes:

 A total of 3.7 thousand technical & vocational institutes with 18.2 thousand
teachers were functional in 2017-18. The enrolment of 433.2 thousand
represents an increase of 25.6 percent over the previous year. With this large
increase in base, the enrolment is projected to decorate to 8.7 percent during
2018-19.

vi- Degree Colleges:

 Degree Colleges are for XIII and XIV years of education. A total of 1,657 degree
colleges in the country had a teacher population of 42 thousand, in 2017-18. That
year, a significant decline of 47.3 percent in enrolment (to 503.8 thousand) was
observed in enrolment level, which is projected to decelerate further to 4.3
percent in 2018-19.

vii- Universities:
 University studies were usually considered for XV to onward but now there has
been a trend to attend university directly after higher secondary education which
somehow, affect degree colleges enrollment. In 2017-18, there were 186
universities, with 56.9 thousand teachers, in the country, with a total enrolment of
1.6 million. This enrolment was 7.7 percent higher than previous years. The
growth in enrolment however is projected to decline by 0.2 percent in 2018-19.
3. Literacy rate:
 PSLM (Pakistan Social And Living Standards Measurement) Survey could not be
conducted in 2016-17 and 2017-18 on account of “Population & Housing Census
in 2017”. However, according to Labour Force Survey 2017-18, literacy rate
trends shows 62.3 percent in 2017-18 (as compared to 60.7 percent in 2014-15),
males (from 71.6% to 72.5%) and females (from 49.6% to 51.8%).
 Area wise analysis suggests that literacy rate increased in both rural (51.9% to
53.3%) and urban (76.0% to 76.6%).
 Literacy rate increases in all provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (54.1% to 55.3%),
Punjab (61.9% to 64.7%) and Balochistan (54.3% to 55.5%) except in Sindh
(63.0% to 62.2%) where marginal decrease has been observed.

4. Expenditure on Education:
 Public Expenditure on education was estimated at 2.4 percent of GDP in 2017-
18, as compared to 2.2 percent in 2016-17. The government is committed to
enhance financial resources for education as education expenditure has been
rising gradually since 2013-14. The education-related expenditure increased by
18.6 percent (to Rs 829.2 billion) in 2017-18.
 The provincial governments are also spending a sizeable amount of their Annual
Development Plans (ADPs) on education.
o Punjab increased its expenditure in 2017-18 to Rs 340.8 billion as
compared to Rs 260.6 billion in 2016-17 which shows a significant
increase of 30.8 percent.
o Sindh also increased its expenditure from Rs 146.7 billion in 2016-17 to
Rs 166.0 billion in 2017-18 showing an increase of 13.16 percent.
o Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and also increased their expenditure on education
from Rs 136 billion to Rs 143 billion.
o Balochistan increased their expenditure on education from Rs 47.7 billion
in 2016-17 to Rs 52.8 billion in 2017-18.
5. State of Education in Pakistan:
 Education plays a variety of significant roles for the development and
advancement of a country. An educated nation can step forward towards
prosperity and peace. Today those nations have progressed whose citizens were
knowledgeable and skilled workers.
 The education system of Pakistan poses many challenges which include
shortage of teachers, excessive absenteeism, lack of basic facilities like
textbooks, modern methods of teaching, modern curriculum and lack of a
conducive and friendly environment. Ghost teachers are another issue because
there are many teachers who do not attend their classes rather they sit at home
or start secondary businesses while receiving monthly salaries.
 Literacy rate in the country is low, about 62 per cent. Besides this, one of the
most common issues being faced is old methods of teaching that has not been
changed since independence. According to reports, no Pakistani university is
among the top 600 universities in term of research in 2017.

6. Educational Issues:
 From historical perspective Pakistan has made commendable efforts for
spreading education since independence. Funding, facilities and free primary
education was introduced to enhance student enrolment.
 It made integral to development planning in all Five Year Plans and Yearly Plans.
Education Commission was established and new Education policies were
introduced. Critical evaluation points out serious issues requiring immediate
attention for enabling education to achieve its goals.
 Following are the major issues:

i- Lack of Resources:
 Resource allocation for education is far from satisfactory as government has
merely spent 2.1% to 2.4% of GDP during last five years. It is much less than
what a large number of countries spend on education, especially those having
developed after World War II. Most of these allocations go to salaries and
 administration. Fewer amounts are given for infrastructure, facilities of research
and development.
 Pakistan’s resource allocation for higher education in 2018-2019 was already the
lowest in the region, at 2.4pc of the GDP, and the recent cuts will end up
practically paralysing higher education institutions across the country. The
federal government has slashed the overall education budget by around 20pc,
while it has allocated Rs28.64bn for the Higher Education Commission, against
its demand of Rs55bn — a difference of more than 50pc. This is a significant
reduction in funds to institutions that were already cash-strapped and barely
meeting their yearly financial requirements.

ii- Enrolment and Retention:

 All Children are not enrolled in schools. Drop out at the primary and high school
level is very high. The incentive to send children to the school is to retain them
there. Poverty and lack of appreciation cause drop out. Not enough schools with
proper facilities. Number of schools exist on papers only i.e., Ghost schools.
 According to UNICEF Pakistan, the country is home to the world’s second-
highest number of out-of-school children with an estimated 22.8 million children
(5-16) not attending school. This is a huge number and is 44 per cent of the total
population in this age group. This number includes dropouts and those who have
never been to school, mainly due to gender, geographic and socio-economic
gaps.

iii- Alien language based educational system:

 In Pakistan, there is a catastrophe that English is regarded as the yardstick of
measuring the mental capacity of a student. In our education system, there are
several factors that have been affecting the studies of students of almost all
levels, among which curriculum courses being in English is on the top of the list.
 There is only one way to ensure quality education that is to impart knowledge to
students in their mother tongue. This is an undeniable fact and has been widely
acknowledged that any country cannot move ahead until imparting education in
 mother tongue is ensured. It is also said that true learning and teaching
something is possible in one’s own mother tongue.
 We cannot ignore the scope and reach of the English language as it is an
international language, but promoting the idea of education in mother tongue is
the need of the hour. As a survey was conducted in 22 districts, all of which
favoured a shift to Urdu.
 Experts also support a move away from English, arguing that imposing a mode of
instruction in a second or foreign language on students in their early
developmental years hampers their conceptual understanding and cognitive
development.

iv- Democratization of Education:

 The future of Pakistan lies in the hands of youth, but the discrimination and
inequality in the system is paralyzing our youth. Those who succeed in gaining
education are unable to get jobs. Most of our youth is suffering the atrocities of
unemployment. The “rich” and “poor” class division is destroying our education
system too as unemployment forces coming generation to child labor.
 The equal system of Education will provide healthy environment to the young
souls to practice and enhance their talent and that will also motivate the coming
generation to strive for education. There is need to uplift the standard of public
education system to produce skillful and intelligent workforce for Pakistan. In
order to eradicate unemployment from our country, we should provide equal
opportunities to each and every young citizen.

v- Teachers related issues:

 Shortage of qualified teachers at the lower levels is main cause of less interest of
young students towards education. Student-teacher ratio is very high in Pakistan.
So the teacher cannot properly treat students. Teachers are not given any
incentives for devotion to the profession. Salary and other facilities especially at
the lower levels are very disappointing. Training and refresher courses are also
inadequate. New techniques of teaching and facilities needed for good teaching,
which should be provided to the teachers.
vi- Lack of Technical Education:
 No nation could progress unless it promotes technical education. Technical
education plays a vital role in human resource development of a country by
creating skilled manpower, enhancing industrial productivity and improving the
quality of life.
 Pakistan is an under-developed most populous country in the world. Human
recourse is the main factor of development and growth of any nation. We should
change the mindset of the nation. Technical education should be promoted on
school and college level.
 People should be guided for technical courses. As we observed that diploma
holders can easily get job as compared to simple graduates. So technical
education is necessary for employment and growth of economy.
 We can export more skilled labour to the Middle East and other countries if we
train and teach them technical education. Technical education is crucial for
increasing production and exports and for decreasing unemployment, imports
and inflation.
 The Government should focus on technical education. New technical institutions
must be built on Tehsil and Union Counsel level. Private institutions should be
promoted for this purpose and their fee and quality must be checked and
controlled by government. Technical subjects must be included in our syllabus of
matriculation and intermediate classes. We can train our people for local industry
as well as foreign countries. We can increase the remittance by exporting more
technical and expert people.

vii- Examination System:

 Examination System remained a problematic issue in Pakistan. How to judge the
performance of students is a difficult question. Instead of comprehension and
depth of knowledge emphasis is laid on test of memory. Learning is geared to
passing the examination. Some people work only at the end of the year and get
good marks due to flaw in the system. Some of they use unfair means. Students
have very little knowledge of how the papers are actually graded. This becomes
 a serious problem at the higher levels. Still there is a debate that whether Annual
system or Semester system should be adopted.

viii- Politicization:
 Student groups have political links with outside groups. Political parties have their
sub units in educational institutions, which result in use of violence and threats.
This also damages the educational environment. Though student unions can be
fruitful to produce leader in every aspect of live if the political affiliation and
extremism is discouraged.

ix. Lack of focus in infrastructure:

 Hundreds of schools in KP hit by the earthquake in 2005 have yet to be restored.
Some 3,600 schools spread over the badly affected districts of Abbottabad,
Mansehra, Shangla, Battagram and Kohistan, were declared too dangerous for
holding any activity. Half of these schools have been reconstructed. The
Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority has been working on
rebuilding the schools at a pace which can hardly be described as steady —
because of funding challenges.
 ERRA had the task of restoring a mind- boggling 2,900 schools; this is a stark
reminder of just how crippling the earthquake was, as it demolished infrastructure
located over vast areas of Pakistan and, in particular, Azad Kashmir. Of these,
1,800 schools have been reconstructed whereas work on 1,100 others is still to
be accomplished. According to a news report, the provincial government has
rehabilitated just 29 out of a total of 760 schools that it was supposed to have
restored.

x. Student Dropouts:
 There are simply not enough government schools in the country to accommodate
everyone. Many children have to travel long distances to get to school,
particularly in the rural parts. If transport is not provided by the school and
parents do not have the time to accompany them or the means to arrange for the
commute, families see no other choice but to pull the child out of school.
 To overcome this problem we can use mosques as primary/secondary schools,
as the mosques (every village has 1 or 2 mosques) are not under use from
“Fajar” to “Zuhar” prayers. This was the practice during the period of Khlufa-i-
Rashdeen/ Ottoman Umpire. Why can’t we do it in the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan? It will also help the initiative of Madrassah reforms.

7. Educational Reforms:
 It is the first time that a serious effort is being seen on the part of the government
to bring genuine reforms in the education sector as well as streamline the
religious seminaries.
 Individuals and organisations working towards educational development in
Pakistan hope a positive outcome from the education policy roadmap of the
current government. However, they are also aware that governments in the past
have not failed on giving good policy documents. For instance, Pakistan out-
performed other nations in presenting roadmaps for MDGs in 2000 and SDGs in
2015. But as far as successful implementation for achieving these global and
national goals is concerned, it has been a valley of death for different policy
frameworks and action plans.
 The four pillars of the new policy framework respond well to the fundamentals of
system improvement:
o Out-of-school children,
o Quality education,
o Skill development and
o Uniform standards across the country
 One undeniable fact regarding the improvement of the education system in
Pakistan is the horror of the task. The large number of reported out-of-school
children and the depressing learning outcomes of in-school children need equal
and urgent attention.
 The education minister’s team will need to avoid an irregular, disjointed and
reactive response. They will have to think beyond quick fixes and devise
comprehensive, efficient and effective solutions that work in different parts of the
country and with different groups of children.
 Before diving off the ledge, a serious review of previous policy roadmaps is
crucial to identify promising initiatives and to fix the missing links. Otherwise, the
translation of vision into reality may face the same fate as that of other well-
intended efforts in the past.
 The government has also recently approved Deeni Madaris Reforms to
streamline religious seminaries which if implemented in letter and spirit will
undoubtedly enable the students of religious schools to excel in the fields of their
interests.
 We, therefore, expect that modern syllabus which is the combination of both
religious and science subjects will soon be introduced in the religious seminaries
so that their students could also compete with those of other formal educational
institutions and build a career in different fields.
 The process of bringing uniform syllabus also needs to be expedited. Focus must
also be given to the technical and vocational education as it is the key factor to
help the country’s economy develop. Our youth can only greatly benefit from the
industrialization envisaged under the CPEC, if they are equipped with market-
oriented skills.

8. Education For Growth:

 Socio-economic development and poverty alleviation are the key focus areas for
our government. In the same spirit, the CPEC base has been broadened by
promoting these sectors to facilitate residents in terms of employment and
exchanges.
 To give practical effect to these plans, China and Pakistan will make efforts to
carry out vocational training and improve higher-education resources to carry out
design and R&D activities besides ensuring cooperation in various sectors.
 The newly-established Joint Working Group (JWG) on Socio-Economic
Development has been tasked to identify and ensure the implementation of pilot
projects in education by setting up smart schools and knowledge-sharing in
faculty development.
 The youth has been defined as an asset and the educational system is a means
to leverage this asset. If we don’t develop our educational system, we may fail to
become the leading economic power.
14. Health in Pakistan:
1. Overview of Health:
 The spending on health has been less than one percent of GDP since decades.
This is one of the key structural challenges. In terms of HDI, Pakistan’ position is
150 out of 189 countries in 2017. Some slight improvement has been witnessed:
o As in 2012-13, 45 percent of children were stunted which dropped to 38
percent in 2017-18.
o Childhood wasting declined slightly from 11 percent to 7 percent,
o While the prevalence of underweight children declined from 30 percent to
23 percent.
o Childhood mortality rates have declined since 1990.
o Infant mortality has decreased from 86 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990
to 61.2 in 2017.
o During the same time period, under-5 mortality has markedly declined
from 112 to 74 deaths per 1,000 live births.
o Neonatal mortality declined from 55 in 2012 to 42 deaths per 1,000 live
births.

2. Health Status:
 A series of programs and projects are on track in Pakistan to improve health
status of the people and to reduce burden of communicable and non-
communicable diseases while vertical programs have been devolved to the
provinces.
 By the year 2018:
o The number of public sector hospitals has increased to 1,279,
o Basic Health Units (BHUs) improved to 5,527,
o Rural Health Centers (RHCs) were increased to 686 and
o Dispensaries to 5,671.
 These facilities together with 220,829 registered doctors, 22,595 registered
dentists and 108,474 registered nurses bring the current ratio of one doctor for
 963 persons, 9,413 persons per dentist and availability of one hospital bed for
1,608 person.

3. Harmful Diseases:
i. Polio Virus:
 Anti-polio vaccine workers are once again in the field as part of nation-wide
efforts to eradicate the disease. Pakistan, which joined the nuclear states’ club in
1997, the year when the deadly virus affected 1,200 children in the country, is
among the last two countries, besides Afghanistan still unable to eradicate the
disease entirely. Meanwhile, Nigeria has just celebrated three years without any
polio cases, which means the African country is officially a polio-free state,
 It is very likely that Afghanistan will beat Pakistan in the polio war as in 2019,
Pakistan has seen 53 cases so far and Afghanistan 12. In the month of
December, terrifying reports emerged of the presence of polio virus in the
sewage samples collected from:
o Quetta, Qila Abdullah and Pishin (Balochistan),
o Karachi (Sindh),
o Peshawar and Bannu (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and
o Lahore and Rawalpindi (Punjab).
 Strain analysis states the virus is transmitted from western border hot-spots and
Afghanistan to other parts of the country.
 In some cases, resistance from parents to the administration of the vaccine has
also left children crippled forever. Last year, 400,000 children reportedly missed
vaccinations in multiple drives. What is perhaps a slightly bright side of this dark
picture is that the polio programme is under able hands, which maintain
transparency and have been able to register a massive decline in polio cases.
 The Bannu region is becoming the hotspot of polio vaccination resistance.
Recently, a leader of a traders’ body at a convention announced that they would
boycott the vaccination drive if the government did not withdraw certain taxes.
 Over the years, polio drives have been used as a political tool. The militants of
the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan killed scores of polio workers only for their
 political and strategic gains. A polio-infested Pakistan serves their agenda of an
internationally isolated country.
 Adding fuel to fire, a section of local influencers also tried to fan disinformation
about polio campaigns. Several parents, under the influence of the propaganda,
marked the fingers of their children themselves to avoid vaccination.
 Apart from the programme managers, the real heroes of the huge success,
however, are the front-line polio workers who have braved terrorism, harsh
weather, overworking, shamelessly low wages and social taboos to purge the
country from polio virus. Since the launch of the first vaccination drive in 1994 to
till date these workers have written a shining chapter in the country’s history.
 In 1994, Pakistan saw 18,000 polio cases, and with the first drive, the number fell
to 1,400, which were 12 in 2018. In the fresh drive, 260,000 workers are going
door to door regardless of rain and snowfall.
 In some pockets, armed security guards have to accompany the workers. That is
a tragedy. Militant outfits seem to have figured that polio is a big political and
economic issue. They have been attacking workers for years only to damage
Pakistan’s political and economic standing.
 Parents’ cooperation is the most vital element to make the polio removing drives
a success. Prompted by rumours and propaganda, several parents refuse to
welcome polio teams at their doorsteps. Last month, polio teams saw a 25 per
cent increase in vaccine refusals in Islamabad, and majority of the cases
involved seemingly educated families.
 The government has engaged scholars, bloggers, social media managers, and
opinion makers to stem the tide. But more efforts are needed in the polio virus-
infested sections – Karachi, Quetta block (Quetta, Pishin and Qila Abdullah
districts), Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Peshawar districts.
 In these pockets, certain clusters see polio vaccination repulsive. All
stakeholders, mostly the parents, need to realise that unless even a single child
with polio virus is present in their surroundings, no child is safe from the virus.
Collectives efforts are required to make a polio-free Pakistan. It is time to keep
 fingers crossed and chip in our share to make the polio virus history from
Pakistan.

ii. Malnutrition Alarm:

 A recent flagship report by Unicef looks into patterns of food and nutrition intake
by children around the world. The findings are alarming, particularly when it
comes to the state of children’s health in South Asia. The region has been
marked ‘red’ on the United Nations map. The organisation warns that nearly half
of all children are not receiving a sufficient diet — the highest global figure in this
regard. Poor consumption patterns lead to issues with growth, cognitive
impairments, and go on to negatively impact the region’s economies.
 According to the report, titled The State of the World’s Children, approximately
409,000 children under the age of five died last year in Pakistan. Meanwhile, our
neighbours India and Afghanistan recorded 882,000 and 74,000 deaths
respectively in the same period. The region shows disproportionately high rates
of chronic malnutrition, wasting and stunting.
 According to the 2018 National Nutrition Survey, four out of 10 children in
Pakistan under the age of five are stunted. This is the third highest statistic in the
world. Moreover, nearly 18pc suffer from wasting while almost 30pc are
undernourished.
 The government has announced an ambitious social welfare programme, a lot of
work is needed on the ground. Many of these issues are interconnected. For
instance, the appalling health and growth indicators amongst children are linked
to poor water and sanitation supplies, or lesser acknowledged gender disparities
within households.
 Poverty is also endemic in the region, which leads to families under-investing in
proper diets. There is also a lack of awareness of what even consists of nutritious
food, while access to health facilities remains out of the reach of many families,
particularly in far-flung rural areas. With the growing population showing no signs
of slowing down, this country’s children and their futures need to be accorded top
priority.
iii. Disability:
 According to the WHO, approximately 15pc of Pakistan’s population consists of
persons with disabilities. For such a large group, PWD (Persons with Disabilities)
are severely overlooked and underrepresented in every aspect of life, including
politics and lawmaking. Until the passage of the 18th Amendment, there was only
one law that spoke to the rights of PWD: the Disabled Persons (Employment and
Rehabilitation) Ordinance of 1981, which ensured employment for them.
 Since devolution, however, Balochistan, and Sindh have passed their own laws
concerning PWD. Painfully, Punjab and KP have not followed suit. Last year, the
Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2018,
was tabled by the human rights ministry, but it is yet to be presented to the
National Assembly.
 Advocacy groups such as the Potohar Mental Health Association have pointed
out certain flaws in the law:
i. First, they feel the definition of ‘disabled’ is outdated, since it is not aligned
with the UN Convention of Rights of Persons with
ii. Even though all PWD face some level of stigma, women with disabilities
bear the brunt, and the language in the bill is not inclusive towards them.
iii. The allocation of funds is unclear.
iv. Unlike other marginalised groups, PWD do not have representative seats
at the National Assembly, which is against the UNCRPD, and this bill does
not mention political representation for them.
v. Lastly, despite being assigned special CNICs, the process of attaining
them at Nadra offices is long and cumbersome, while ‘proving’ their
disability is perceived as discriminatory.
 While keeping these issues in mind, the passing of the new law will nevertheless
be a welcome step in making Pakistan a more equitable society, safeguarding
the rights of PWD and ensuring a life of dignity for them.
 If passed, it can also be adopted by the Punjab and KP assemblies with
amendments. It is important to remember that PWD do not need sympathy or
charity, but are deserving of their due rights as citizens of the state.
iv. Mental health:
 It is a global challenge of mammoth proportions: according to the WHO, one in
four individuals suffers from some form of mental illness. It is estimated that
almost 800,000 people commit suicide every year, and by 2020, depression
might overtake other diseases to become the leading cause of death across the
world.
 Data indicates that suicides are prevalent in low- and middle-income countries,
and are the second leading cause of death among young people between the
ages of 15 and 29 years.
 Though Pakistan has the second youngest population in the world, the discourse
around mental health remains extremely limited. The Pakistan Association of
Mental Health estimates that more than 34pc of the population is affected by
mental illness, but they remain deprived of adequate treatment, mainly due to the
lack of facilities and the societal stigma attached to the subject. Reportedly, some
13,000 people commit suicide every year in Pakistan, and more than 95pc of
them suffer from mental disorders.
 It was first highlighted in the 1998 National Health Policy when mental health
became a component of primary healthcare, but this effort came to nothing. Then
came the federal Mental Health Ordinance in 2001, and later the mental health
acts were passed by Sindh and Punjab in 2013 and 2014 respectively. But these
steps have neither altered how this issue continues to be perceived in society,
nor have they helped in mainstreaming discussions around mental health and the
provision of treatment facilities.
 Currently, mental disorders cost the country up to Rs250bn. Pakistanis have
braved terrorist attacks, political violence, natural disasters and internal
displacement, among other hardships. Addressing these concerns will
automatically lighten the burden of mental illness. At the same time, it is
imperative that the government engage in a robust campaign to remove societal
stigmas attached to the treatment of mental health problems. In fact, such
treatment should be a part of overall health-related development in the country.
v. Maternal and child health:
 A mother or her newborn child dies every 11 seconds in some part of the world,
according to a new report published by affiliated agencies of the United Nations.
Most of these deaths occur in regions where access to healthcare remains a
challenge, even though globally since 2000 the rate of neonatal illness has
halved and the number of maternal deaths has reduced by a third.
 When it comes to Pakistan, unfortunately, the country has the highest rate of
newborn deaths in the world and one of the highest maternal mortality rates in
the region. A 2018 report by Unicef stated that one in every 22 babies born in
Pakistan dies within a month. The report further said that more than 80pc of
newborn deaths would be preventable, given good nutrition, hygiene and access
to well-trained midwives.
 Adequate sanitation and the provision of adequate healthcare in Pakistan has
always remained a challenge. However, in the past couple of decades, the
problem has been compounded by a rapidly increasing population (Pakistan is
the fifth-most populous country in the world), making the distribution of resources
and doctors even more difficult than it was before.
 Unfortunately, it is characteristic of politics in Pakistan to pay little heed to the
people’s actual needs — health, education and security. Successive
governments introduce health schemes, usually towards the end of their tenures
to gain popularity, but the overall approach towards subjects like health and
education remains nonchalant.
 The PTI leadership has succeeded in making headlines by announcing the Sehat
Insaf card early in its tenure, but that seems to be the extent of work put into
improving the provision of healthcare. If the PTI-led government intends to bring
some real change at all, it must shift its focus from ‘accountability for all’ to
‘healthcare for all’.

vi. Waterborne diseases:

 An equally worrying issue that emerges is that of vector-borne and waterborne
diseases, resulting from pools of stagnant water. In particular, a devastating
bunch of mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya,
 pose a major threat to public health if the work of draining stagnant water and
lifting garbage is not carried out by the civic authorities.
 The figures from the past year, for example, are not encouraging. Last year,
according to the National Institute of Health in Islamabad, there were over 50,000
dengue cases in Pakistan; the figure for malaria crossed 100,000. Similar is the
situation with chikungunya, a painful vector-borne disease that affects the joints.
 Dengue across the country seems to have been particularly vicious this year.
Around 50,000 cases have been reported. This is almost double the number of
people infected with the virus in the past decade.
 WHO has declared dengue as one of the top 10 global public health threats;
surely, the national and provincial health authorities could have ensured active
vigilance and preventive measures before matters got out of hand. The
communication gap between provincial health departments has also contributed
to the increase in the number of cases.
 Although this time there appears to be an improvement in reporting mechanisms
regarding the number of people afflicted in the country, experts argue that there
are still several weak links in the disease surveillance system which need to be
ironed out.
 An Emergency Operation Centre dedicated to controlling the spread of dengue
fever has been set up in Islamabad. The EOC can begin work by verifying
reports of two different strains of the dengue virus affecting patients and then
share this information with health practitioners, along with putting out guidelines
for treatment.

vii. Diabetes
 According to the report, we figure among the top 10 countries for absolute
increase in diabetes prevalence, with over 19m people suffering from the
disease. Of these, some 8.5m are undiagnosed, which makes them even more
susceptible to the life-threatening health issues that diabetes can lead to if not
managed properly, including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness,
lower limb amputation, etc.
 Diabetes is known, for good reason, as a silent killer. It can sneak up on an
individual without presenting any, or very mild, symptoms; public awareness
about its innocuous onset is thus imperative to facilitate early detection.
 Our already creaking public health infrastructure is now dealing with the added
burden of a condition that is the gateway to serious complications. As per the IDF
(International Diabetes Federation) report, diabetes prevalence in Pakistan has
touched 17.1pc, an astonishing 148pc higher than what was previously reported.
Public and private health facilities must be proactive in dealing with this
distressing state of affairs by raising awareness and early testing.

viii. Resistant bugs:

 For some years now, the irrational use of antibiotics across the world, including in
this country, has emerged as a major health crisis. According to WHO, around
700,000 people die globally every year because the overuse of antibiotics has
made common bacterial illnesses more difficult to treat. WHO has termed
antimicrobial resistance a global health crisis that could cause 10m deaths
across the world by the year 2050.
 According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report of 2013, more
than 70pc of the infections among newborns in Pakistan are caused by antibiotic-
resistant bacteria. Last year, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
issued a warning that Pakistan could export the XDR typhoid fever — an
extensively drug-resistant strain of the illness — believed to have emerged as a
result of the overuse of antibiotics in the country.
 In this regard, the Sindh government, earlier this month, introduced a vaccine for
schoolchildren hoping to reduce the prevalence of XDR typhoid that has become
endemic in many parts of the province.
 However, stronger measures are needed such as improving sanitation, cracking
down on unqualified doctors and checking over-the-counter sales of antibiotics.
 Moreover, the widespread use of antibiotics in poultry and cattle farming, and
agriculture, also compounds the problem.
 The federal health ministry had devised a national action plan in collaboration
with WHO to curb the overuse of antibiotics; however, so far, there has been no
 implementation of this due to lack of resources. The authorities need to review
the situation before another superbug emerges as a global health risk, posing a
threat to lives in and outside Pakistan.

ix. Resistant bugs:

 The launching of the Pakistan Renal Data System by the Pakistan Society of
Nephrology is a milestone in our attempts to assess the prevalence of chronic
kidney diseases in the country.
 According to the Pakistan Medical Association, around 20,000 people die of
kidney problems every year in Pakistan. With about 20m affected individuals, the
country is said to rank eighth in the world with regard to the prevalence of chronic
renal ailments.
 Data collected so far by the PKRDS has already provided greater insight into the
subpar dialysis standards in Punjab. It seems that almost half the 1,500 patients
registered with this portal contracted hepatitis C within three months of starting
dialysis.
 With time, and some help from the government, this registry can also function as
a centralised network for dialysis and kidney transplant patients, enabling online
registration for dialysis sessions and the listing of potential donors.

x. Rabies scourge:
 Every year between 2000 to 5000 Pakistanis die of rabies infection caused by
the bite of a rabid animal, usually dogs. Most rabies deaths are not reported,
while most cases are taken to shrines or faith-healers,” there are no policies on
stray dog control in the country.
 Health experts lamented that investing money in curing poor-man diseases was
a “bad business” in which no one pharmaceutical company was willing to invest.
 Inadequate veterinary services, lack of diagnostics, low health priority, poor
surveillance and reporting, lack of community awareness, attitudes and practices
among doctors and paramedics were some of major causes laying behind the
burden of this disease.
 Many are not aware of the precise steps that need to be taken immediately after
a bite from a potentially rabid animal, through no fault of their own.
o First, the area that has come into contact with the animal’s saliva must be
rinsed with soap and water,
o Secondly, the administering of the anti-rabies vaccine and immuglobulin
inside or around the wound, depending on the severity of the bite.
 It is the job of the government and health authorities to have up-to- date
knowledge and to spread awareness about vital and timely steps to take in order
to counter the spread of rabies.

xi. Breast Cancer:

 According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, approximately
1.38m cases of breast cancer are detected each year, resulting in 458,000
annual deaths. While there is no cancer registry system in place to determine just
how widespread the disease is in Pakistan, Pink Ribbon estimates that there is
an average of 90,000 patients diagnosed each year, while around 40,000 die
from the disease. Meanwhile, the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association claims
that Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer in Asia.
 Women’s health is ignored, and our society still struggles to talk about breast
cancer or even take its name due to warped ideas and a sense of shame
surrounding anything to do with women’s bodies — a hesitancy and silence so
burdensome that it results in the deaths of a large number of women.
Government should make an effort to talk about the disease, and reach out to
those who have been diagnosed with it.

xii. Heart Disease:

 Experts have suggested that more than 40 people die of heart disease every
hour in Pakistan. Until three years ago, the number of such deaths was around
12 per hour. This is an alarming increase of more than 200pc in the heart-related
mortality rate.
 The data speaks inability of the public healthcare system to cater to a rapidly
growing population; secondly, it shows that there is something inherently wrong
with the lifestyles of a majority of Pakistanis.
 Government spending on healthcare in Pakistan has remained less than 1pc of
the GDP over several decades. While the present government came to power
promising to make healthcare one of its top priorities and also announced a
couple of health programmes, the budgetary allocations tell a different story.
 The federal health budget was slashed this year, along with the provincial
budgets of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan. Fortunately, in Sindh
the health budget was increased by 19pc, underscoring the provincial
government’s plan to improve the provision of healthcare.
 It is no surprise that sedentary lifestyles and poor diet, combined with bad air
quality, have resulted in every third person suffering from hypertension — a
precursor to heart disease.
 If heart patients get medical assistance in time, a large number of these deaths
could be prevented. However, this requires that people have easy access to
basic but effective healthcare, something that is impossible to achieve until the
government makes considerable investment in the development of health
facilities and medical staff.

xiii. HIV/AIDS:
 A report by UNAIDS has some upsetting insights on Pakistan, which has been
placed on a list of 11 countries with the highest prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS.
While in other countries, HIV/AIDS cases are on the decline, there has been a
worrying upsurge of the disease in Pakistan.
 According to the report, the number of HIV/AIDS patients in the country rose to
over 160,000 in 2018. Of these, around 110,000 were men; 48,000 women; and
5,500 children under the age of 15. Approximately 6,400 died from the disease.
 A decade ago, in 2008, the number of patients living with HIV/AIDS in the country
stood at 4,300, showing a considerable increase. Undoubtedly, the number of
patients would have risen even higher in 2019, in light of the sudden outbreak of
 the disease in Larkana in the past few months, particularly amongst children,
some under the age of two.
 For years, health researchers have been warning of the potential threat of an
HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country, HIV/AIDS is still associated with what is
condemned as socially deviant sexual activity, stigma surrounds the topic in our
largely conservative society.
 HIV/AIDS was understood to be more prevalent amongst marginalized
communities without access to treatment, such as the transgender population,
drug addicts and commercial sex workers, but there is reason to believe it is
increasingly spilling into the general population.
 In Larkana, for instance, the spread of the disease was traced to a single doctor
according to some residents, the only one in the area, though he has denied any
deliberate involvement — reusing infected syringes on patients.
 The cases in Larkana bring back memories of a small village in Sargodha in
January 2018 when blood screening found 669 residents infected with the virus.
It was largely blamed on a thriving quackery racket, where unsterilised
equipment and infected syringes were used on an unsuspecting population,
many of them women and children.
 Recently in Larkana there were around 2,800 patients registered with the Punjab
AIDS Control Programme for free vaccination, hailing from five districts in the
province. Most were unaware they had the disease until they underwent
screenings while donating blood, travelling abroad or undergoing surgery. In a
culture of shame and silence, and in the absence of a nationwide HIV/AIDS
awareness programme, few know the facts about their illness or how to ask for
help until it is too late.

4. Health Initiatives by Government:

i. Sehat Sahulat Program(SSP)
 Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC) in
collaboration with provincial governments, started a landmark and flagship health
 care and social protection initiative, the Sehat Sahulat Program (previously
known as Prime Minister’s National Health Program).
 The objective is to lead a path towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in
Pakistan, with special focus towards those living below the poverty line in the
country. The program is being implemented in a phased manner. In the first
phase, the program is being implemented in 38 districts of Pakistan covering 3.2
million families.
 Benefit Packages of Phase-I:
o In Sehat Sahulat Program each enrolled family will be insured upto Rs.
50,000/- per year for secondary care treatment and upto Rs. 250,000/- per
year for 7 priority care treatment. Patients who have consumed their limits
will be provided with additional limits by Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal.
 Benefit Packages of Phase-II:
o In phase-II of the Sehat Sahulat Program, benefit package of each
enrolled family has been raised to Rs. 120,000/- per year for secondary
care treatment and upto Rs. 600,000/- per year for 8 priority
iseases/illnesses related treatment.

ii. Civil Registration and Vital Statistics

 It is an important act of recording and documenting of vital events in a person’s
life (including birth, marriage, divorce, adoption and death) and is therefore, a
fundamental function of government.

iii. Reduction in Prevalence of Tobacco Use in Pakistan

 Tobacco use is a cause of death of around 160,100 Pakistan every year. Around
24 million adults currently use tobacco in any form in Pakistan.
 The government is also committed to fulfill its international commitment by taking
demand and supply reduction measures.
 Other Programs Includes:
i. National Nutrition Program
ii. National TB control Program (NTP)
iii. Family Planning and Primary Health Care (FP&PHC)
 iv. Polio Eradication Initiative Program
v. Safe Blood Transfusion Services Program
vi. Malaria Control Program
vii. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/ Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS) Control Program
viii. Maternal & Child Health Program
ix. Prime Minister’s Program for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis etc.

5. Conclusion
 Health sector of the country faces tough challenges and there is a dire need to
enhance the budget allocation for health aggressively by federal and all
provincial governments, especially development expenditure so that increased
and better quality health facilities may be available across the country.
 The present government seems committed to increase the health coverage for
the growing demand of increasing population. A number of efforts are underway
to provide health facilities, increasing health expenditure and to meet goals under
SDGs like Sehat Sahulat Program, Civil Registration & Vital Statistics, Deworm
Islamabad Insensitive etc and taking expenses at health as investment rather
considering it cost.
15. Media and Freedom of Speech:
1. Freedom of Speech:
 A direct correlation can be drawn between a state’s response to attacks on
journalists and the freedom of its press. Where there is impunity for a crime, it
inevitably follows that numerous non-fatal tactics to intimidate and coerce the
press are even more rampant. It is indicative of a concerted effort to suppress the
truth: typically, a pervasive climate of unchecked corruption and systemic
injustice.
 As recently highlighted by the Committee to Protect Journalists in its annual
Global Impunity Index, for 12 consecutive years, Pakistan continues to remain
among the company of other states “where journalists are slain and their killers
go free”. Despite a relative reduction in violence in recent years, press in
Pakistan today is still far from able to operate freely, under peaceful and just
conditions.
 The reality is that successive governments have either been reluctant in actively
pursuing the course of justice for the families of slain journalists. Whether at the
hands of militants, mafias or elements of the establishment, in the past two
decades, only two have murdered cases resulted in successful prosecutions.
 Unwarranted delays and denials at every stage of the criminal justice process are
tantamount to complicity with the perpetrators of these crimes. These unsolved
mysteries continue to cast a long shadow over the ability of the press to conduct
critical or investigative reporting in Pakistan, with self-censorship becoming a
means of self-preservation. While truth can be suppressed, distorted and even
manufactured — for a time — it can never die. History rarely looks kindly upon
those who, whether by inertia or intent, stand in its way.

2. Accountability:
 Misinformation, disinformation and mal-information are indeed among the
principal threats facing global communities and traditional journalism in the 21st
century. Most worrying is the speed with which such false information is shared
and uncritically absorbed by ‘consumers’ through social media and WhatsApp.
 In Pakistan, we have witnessed the disastrous effects of such malicious
campaigns, including the serious damage done to the anti-polio efforts in recent
years. For instance, in April, a hoax about children falling sick after being
administered polio drops was widely shared on social media, which led to an
85pc increase in vaccine refusals in KP alone, and a massive spike in the
number of new polio cases this year.
 With greater technological advancements, particularly in the field of artificial
intelligence, the ability to mislead the public through ‘fake news’ is only going to
increase in the years to come. The biggest casualty of misinformation is trust
itself, the glue which holds societies together.

3. Women Harassment in Journalism:

 Even in the field of journalism, women are not spared the narrow interpretations
of toxic masculinity regarding their behaviour. It has been revealed in a survey
conducted by the nonprofit initiative Media Matters for Democracy that online
harassment affects the work of 95pc of women journalists in Pakistan.
 The report stated that 77pc of women journalists resorted to self-censorship to
evade online harassment, which affected both their professional and personal
life. Moreover, when these women journalists approached law-enforcement
agencies to report online harassment, half of them received unsatisfactory
responses.
 Pakistan is already one of the most dangerous countries in the world for
journalists. The current political climate has made it even more difficult for the
media to offer fair criticism of government decisions and policies. In this context,
the social and personal costs that women journalists have to bear for merely
doing their job makes them doubly vulnerable: not only do they have to deal with
the professional pressures of journalism — of which there are many in our
country — they also have to counter warped societal notions regarding their
‘responsibilities’ as ‘traditional’ women. A ‘good ‘Pakistani woman is one who is
always patient and never complains.
 Online harassment has multiplied with the use of social networking sites such as
Twitter. It cannot be taken lightly and be dismissed as merely an extension of the
 existing social fabric of Pakistani society where fragile patriarchal honour is
threatened each time a woman dares to demonstrate some degree of intellectual
or physical independence. It is a disturbing trend that must end immediately.

4. Online Surveillance:
 A new report on Pakistan’s internet surveillance, published by investigative
agency Coda, has once again sounded the alarm on the long-standing issue of
the state spying on its citizens. The Sandvine system would allow for monitoring
and analysis of all internet traffic moving into and out of the country using a
method called Deep Packet Inspection, which would allow for both broad and
targeted surveillance of internet activity.
 The authorities have previously shared that surveillance tools are aimed to curb
grey traffic (eg illegal international calls) and other unlawful activities, this
reasonable argument is not grounded in reality.
 To begin with, Sandvine has a documented history of selling its technology to
authoritarian regimes for purposes that undermine basic civil liberties. In an
investigation by Canada-based Citizen Lab, its DPI equipment was found to be
used in Turkey, Egypt and Syria both to censor content and to redirect users,
resulting in the installation of spyware.
 The most commonly documented targets in the digital space have been social
and political activists, members of rights groups, journalists, and more broadly,
citizens who challenge or critique the state’s narrative. The fear of online
surveillance and consequent harassment, detainment, job loss and other
negative outcomes has peaked in the last two years.
 The laws that govern digital surveillance are flawed. Unfortunately, there has
been little to no debate as to how these laws comply (or conflict) with basic
human rights.

5. Pemra:
 The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority is the body to regulate the
media in Pakistan. It is unfortunate like all the Government department Pemra is
no different, Pemra is continuously used to harass and sanction limitations on the
 media outlets who deferred with the government policies, creates awareness
against inhuman government policies and highlight corruption and malafied
legislation.

6. Online Censorship:
 The growing number of ‘unspoken’ and confusing restrictions on the country’s
media, it is no surprise that online policing of content, especially on the social
media, has also increased. A Facebook transparency report has revealed that in
the first half of 2019, the social media giant restricted around 5,700 posts in
Pakistan on the government’s request.
 According to the report, the number of complaints filed by the PTA made up 31pc
of the total content restriction requests, more than any other country. Facebook
maintained that it restricted access to content that, according to the telecom
authority, allegedly violated local laws pertaining to blasphemy, defamation and
criticism of the country’s independence and judiciary.
 In the absence of clear policies to curb the spread of false news, by both the PTA
and Facebook, the restriction of content that is critical of the state’s policies is
tantamount to censorship. The PTA has already blocked access to around
900,000 websites, some of which include internet editions of Indian newspapers
that in the past year, a report by the EU DisinfoLab says that an Indian network
was found to be operating 265 propaganda websites to influence global opinions
against Pakistan.
 Ironically, while there is a clampdown on media and active suppression of
citizens’ voices, there seems to be no attempt to deal with anti-Pakistan
propaganda stemming from abroad. Perhaps the PTA should focus its energies
on targeting actual propaganda, rather than muting the voices of citizens and
journalists.
16. Human Rights and Humanity:
1. National Commission for Human Rights:
 For a government that is very vocal about human rights elsewhere in the world,
the fact that the National Commission for Human Rights has not been functioning
for the past six months should be downright embarrassing. The tenure of the
chairman and six out of seven members of the NCHR expired on May 30, but the
present government, amidst all its tall claims of upholding the rights of citizens,
appears to be dragging its feet on new appointments.
 The PTI government’s year in power has been flawed by bureaucratic delays or
mismanagement, especially in KP and Punjab; the situation also exposes the
serious lapses on part of the federal human rights ministry. Since its formation,
the commission has played a key role in investigating human rights abuses in the
country.
 For some time now, the NCHR had been looking into NAB’s alleged misuse of
powers, and this unusual delay in the appointment of its members reflects badly
on the government’s promises of across-the-board accountability while also
giving credence to criticism that NAB is being used for political victimisation.
 On the other hand, the PTI-led government has been so caught up with the
ongoing political turmoil that major incidents of human rights abuses in the
country have not received the kind of attention they deserve other than the
customary statements issued via Twitter.
 Be it incidents of police brutality in Punjab, the sexual abuse of young boys in
Kasur, the Tezgam tragedy, the Balochistan University harassment scandal or
people dying due to the shortage of rabies vaccine, the response by the federal
government has been lackadaisical at best.
 It would be useful for the government to recall that one of the hallmarks of an
ideal society is its justice system; the present state of affairs with regard to
human rights in the country is contrary to many of the tall claims the PTI has
made before and after coming to power. It is time for the government to stop the
talk, and walk the walk.
2. Human Rights Violations in Pakistan:
i. Labour Anguishes:
 THE ILO (International Labour Organization) has launched its Better Work
Programme in Pakistan for improving working conditions in the textile industry
and ensuring compliance with international labour laws to help local companies
compete globally.
 Around 4.2m people are employed in the garments, textiles and footwear sector,
according to an ILO report for 2014-2015. The textile sector as a whole
contributes 8.5pc to GDP and accounts for 70pc of total exports. However,
according to Human Rights Watch, most workers in Pakistan’s textile industry are
unregulated or are not given written contracts and are forced to work overtime in
harsh conditions without being given adequate leave in case of sickness.
Moreover, they are routinely denied social security, wages and other benefits.
 The report also highlighted the role of private textile companies in suppressing
the activities of workers’ unions that campaign for employees’ rights and the
government’s negligence in allowing these companies to violate existing labour
laws.
 Pakistan’s negligence with regard to implementation of Human Rights Laws has
resulted in worsening conditions for Pakistan’s largely unregulated labour force. It
has also resulted in the pulling out of international businesses, such as Walt
Disney, which ceased doing business with Pakistan in 2014 on account of poor
working conditions.
 According to the Global Slavery Index report, 2018, Pakistan ranks third out of
167 countries in terms of having the highest number of victims of ‘modern
slavery’ — 3.19m.
 Even deadly incidents like Karachi’s Baldia factory fire have failed to result in
greater protection for millions of workers. Let’s hope that the BWP (Better Work
Programme) convinces both government and industrialists that progress in trade
cannot come without uplifting labour conditions in the country.
ii. Modern-Day Slavery:
 Under Unesco’s definition, modern-day slavery is characterised by “an element
of ownership or control over another’s life, coercion and the restriction of
movement” and “by the fact that someone is not free to leave or to change an
employer”. Under this terminology fall all acts of coerced services and
exploitative labour — from human trafficking and debt bondage to forced
marriage.
 Modern-day slavery goes against the principles of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights that “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the
slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms”.
 The UN estimates that approximately 40.3m of the world’s population can be
classified as modern-day slaves. Approximately, 3.19m Pakistanis are classified
as modern-day slaves. Many become imprisoned in trafficking rings and forced
marriages — a practice so common, it barely causes a stir and remains
underreported — while others get tricked into organ mining and debt bondage —
a contract so cruel, it is often passed down several generations, and is especially
rampant in the agriculture and brick kiln industries, with entire families working to
pay off the debt. It bears repeating: slavery is not a problem of the past.

iii. Prisoners’ Rights:

 Pakistan’s prisons are packed beyond capacity. The exact scale of this
nationwide crisis was recently presented in a report to the Supreme Court by the
federal ombudsperson’s office. According to the findings, there are a total of
77,275 prisoners held in 114 prisons across the country. Appallingly, these
prisons only have a combined capacity to house 57,742 people.
o The vast majority — 47,077 — of these prisoners are languishing in the 42
jails of Punjab, against a total sanctioned strength of 32,477.
o This is followed by Sindh, which houses 17,239 inmates in 24 prisons,
against its capacity to accommodate only 13,038 inmates.
 This state of affairs is especially alarming when we consider that minors, first-
time offenders and petty thieves sometimes share the space with hardened
criminals and terrorists in Pakistani prisons.
 Report has pointed to high blood pressure rates among inmates due to the stress
caused to their mental and physical state by their living conditions. Additionally,
there is a burden on resources, and prisoners suffer from malnutrition due to
poor diets and a lack of medical attention. They can contract a variety of
diseases, which can then be passed on to those in close proximity.
 Prison walls are meant to seize certain individuals from society, but they must not
be an impediment to their constitutionally protected rights. However, that is not
the norm in a country like Pakistan, where the rights of even free citizens are
often not respected, let alone those of people who are incarcerated. Inmates
without means and connections are of course at a particular disadvantage. It is
therefore encouraging that the Islamabad High Court last week, having converted
a convict’s complaint into a petition, set up a commission — headed by Minister
for Human Rights Shireen Mazari and including several rights activists — to
ensure that the civil liberties of prisoners are duly protected. The complainant
had accused executive authorities of negligence resulting in damage to his
eyesight.
 Overcrowding in prisons is a long-standing issue, it does not seem to get the
political attention it deserves, as both state and society seem to forget or are
apathetic to the fact that prisoners have rights too.
 Then there is the lesser-talked-about fact that the vast majority of Pakistani
prisoners are still under trial or waiting for their trials to begin. A sluggish trial
process is one of the major reasons prisons are teeming beyond capacity. While
it is necessary for the government to create more prisons, detention facilities and
juvenile centres, and simultaneously increase the capacity of existing ones, until
the problem of judicial lethargy is not addressed, we may never see significant
progress on the ground.

iv. Human Trafficking Or Smuggling:

 French officials were shocked to find 31 Pakistanis hidden inside a truck during a
routine check of vehicles near the Italian border. While it has not yet been
established whether this incident was a case of human trafficking or smuggling
— and the distinction is important — it has raised alarm bells in Europe. Just a
 few days earlier, 39 migrants — believed to be Vietnamese nationals — were
found dead inside an abandoned refrigerated truck in the UK. They had all
suffocated to death. One young woman sent a heartbreaking message to her
loved ones back home: “I’m dying because I can’t breathe… Mom, I am so sorry,
Mom.”
 Such tragedies highlight the desperation of migrants who attempt to escape what
they see as hopeless living conditions in their home countries. Risking their lives
in the pursuit of greener pastures, modern-day migrants attempt to escape war,
religious and ethnic persecution, poverty and harsh economic conditions.
 Migrants from Pakistan are typically categorised as economic migrants from the
rural and small towns of the country, who undertake a dangerous journey to
Europe. Often, they are sold dreams of wealth and adventure awaiting them in
other lands by human traffickers.
 However, as witnessed in the most recent tragedy in the UK, many do not make
their journey to their new homes successfully. Last year, 11 Pakistanis were
counted among 90 migrants who drowned when their boat sank off the coast of
Libya. Indeed, this mass movement of people from one country to another is one
of the most pressing topics of our century, which has so far been characterised
by great inequality and strife.
 Illegal migration, human trafficking and smuggling are intercontinental issues,
and so require cooperation among various countries and regions in order to
tackle the problem successfully. However, until the root causes — income
inequality, prejudice and war — are not addressed, we will continue to witness
such tragedies in the coming years.

v. Torture legislation:
 At a recent event in the capital, speakers from civil society, the legislature and
law enforcement regretted the absence of domestic anti-torture laws. Despite
endorsing the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and despite the presence of (the albeit
limited) Article 14 (2) of the Constitution, which states that “no person shall be
subjected to torture for the purpose of extracting evidence”.
 Pakistan is yet to create effective laws to put the spirit of the convention and
Constitution into effect. It was only recently that the Torture and Custodial Death
(Prevention and Punishment) Act, 2019, was submitted to the Senate
Secretariat, bill will criminalise torture in police custody.
 Unfortunately, brutality and abuse continue to be endemic in policing in this
country, and are only strengthened by the lack of accountability. This was
recently brought to our attention by the tragic and highly publicised death of
young Salahuddin Ayubi, who was accused of theft and then tortured to death at
the hands of the Punjab police. “Where did you learn to hit like that?” a
bewildered Ayubi asked the official behind the camera phone that recorded his
last moments.
 Later three more cases surfaced of individuals dying during their detention by
police — the Punjab force in all these instances. In Rahim Yar Khan, a man
suspected of theft died on Sunday allegedly as a result of custodial torture. Three
cops have been booked for murder. Yet another death allegedly on the same
grounds occurred in Lahore when one of nine men, found detained a few days
ago in a secret torture cell, succumbed to the terrible injuries he had sustained
during his ‘interrogation’. Several policemen have been booked for murder. Then
another unfortunate man died in similar circumstances; an FIR has been filed
against six cops. That these deaths occurred despite the IG Punjab having
issued express instructions against custodial torture, and conducted surprise
visits to some police stations to gauge the situation there, speaks to a much
deeper malaise.
 A year-long National Commission for Human Rights inquiry found that
government authorities themselves documented at least 1,424 cases of torture
by the police between 2006 and 2012 in Faisalabad district alone. The Punjab
law minister in January disclosed that the government is considering changes in
the police act to make it more ‘people-friendly’. One substantial step towards this
objective would be to punish, as per the law, any cop guilty of torturing people in
his custody.
vi. Violence against Women during conflict:
 Human Rights Watch once again reminded the world of growing evidence that
the Indian security forces were using rape as a tactic to subjugate the people of
India-held Kashmir. Back in the early 1990s, too, HRW found that women in
occupied Kashmir were being raped and assaulted by security personnel on the
mere suspicion of harbouring separatists.
 Whether it is used to inflict punishment, seek revenge, or assert fabricated
notions of racial and religious superiority, rape is a brutal means of psychological
warfare that aims to humiliate and suppress an individual or group of people.
 Sexual violence is not just an unintended byproduct of war or the subsequent
breakdown of law and order; it is often a deliberate military strategy that is
condoned by democratic governments through denial, apologetics or silence.
Often, women are the direct casualty of such conflicts waged by men.
 Sadly, there has been no letup in such tactics which have always been a part of
human history. For example, in Iraq and Syria, the terrorists of the Islamic State
group abducted minority Yazidi and Christian women and forced them into sex
slavery by using their interpretation of faith to justify their horrific deeds.
 Meanwhile, the widespread rape of Rohingya Muslim women by the Burmese
military was documented by HRW in 2017. That ‘collective punishment’ was
‘justified’ by labelling the entire community as terrorists. But there is no
justification, and rape must be prosecuted for the war crime it is.

vii. Detention centers:

 It is a long overdue redressal of human rights violations perpetuated against the
people of the tribal areas, an injustice that became all the more indefensible after
the region’s merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in early 2017. The legislation that
allowed security forces sweeping powers to arrest and indefinitely detain any
individual, and also sanctioned the setting up of internment centres.
 The shadowy detention centres in Fata and Pata, sometimes likened to the
Guantanamo Bay prison complex or the ‘black sites’ in Afghanistan, have long
been a stain on this country’s reputation.
 This is nowhere better illustrated than with the internment facilities and all that
has become associated with them; including enforced disappearances and
unprecedentedly opaque trials by military courts, many of which ended in the
death penalty being handed down.
 Numerous reports have emerged of individuals having been abducted, and held
at such locations for years, without charge and without trial — or without any
intimation to their families who have been left running pillar to post in an effort to
locate their loved ones.
 In October 2017, the Supreme Court summoned a complete record of the
detainees at 45 internment centres; the government subsequently disclosed
during the proceedings that it had sent 1,330 people to these sites.
 This ‘security’ regime that transported many individuals into a black hole where
they suffered at the state’s pleasure. Finally, for people of the tribal areas, in an
importance sense, it is no longer a case of one country, two systems.

viii. Blasphemy:
 In a society where the efforts of the high and mighty to seek top-level
adjudication of their disputes gets much publicity, it is a relief that occasionally a
plea by a common Pakistani trying to get the attention of the guardians of justice
finds its way into the public debate. An example is the appeal attributed to the
parents of a man who has been behind bars for six years as an undertrial in a
blasphemy case.
 The appeal to the chief justice of Pakistan is brief, yet reflective of how such a
sensitive matter and those linked to it can get stuck in the system. It speaks of all
kinds of problems, the refusal to hear the case being a prime challenge. It alleges
that delaying tactics have been used to deny justice to Junaid Hafeez, who was a
lecturer of the Bahauddin Zakariya University when arrested in 2013.
 There is mention in the letter about how the prosecution had moved five
“strange” applications to prolong the trial. That the case is pending even three
months after the last witness — a police officer — had testified is indeed a point
that needs to be looked into.
 The parents of Junaid Hafeez say the blasphemy case against him is false. And
as they solicit the support of Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa to end their long
ordeal there is little else they can bank upon after this.
 Another case against the school owner was registered when a student claimed
he heard him making objectionable religious statements; he told his father, who
then informed the police.
 Earlier in May, violence erupted in Mirpurkhas when a local vet allegedly used
paper inscribed with religious texts to wrap medicine. After the incident, a mob
vandalised shops and houses, mostly belonging to the local Hindu community.
 Though it can be argued that those whose religious sentiments have been hurt
have the right to protest, no one can be absolved of taking the law into their own
hands and targeting another community.
 Unfortunately, there have been several incidents that show the blasphemy law’s
potential for being misused:
o A Christian couple in Kot Radha Kishan (Kasur) was accused of
blasphemy in 2014, following which they were beaten and burnt by a mob
because they demanded their wages from their employer.
o Similarly, in 2013, a dispute among two friends led to the burning of a
whole Christian settlement in Gojra (Toba Tek Singh) on blasphemy
charges.
o Mashal Khan, a student of the Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, was
killed even before accusations against him could be pursued according to
the law. Prof Khalid Hameed only needed to be seen as ‘anti-Islam’ for his
student to stab him to death.
 It is time the state took religious scholars on board to chalk out a strategy aimed
at stopping the rampant misuse of the law — often for settling property, monetary
and personal disputes. Meanwhile, it can demonstrate some political grit by
penalising those who took the law into their own hands in Ghotki.

ix. Minority Rights:

 The Supreme Court’s decision to constitute a special bench for the protection of
the fundamental and religious rights of minority communities in Pakistan, is
 commendable. Hopefully, the constitution of this bench will expedite the federal
and provincial governments’ implementation of other recommendations in the
judgement — one of the most significant works of jurisprudence on the protection
of rights and religious freedoms of minority groups in Pakistan.
 The special bench will also be free to hear complaints regarding the violation of
minorities’ rights, thereby opening up a channel for the resolution of their
problems that have largely been drowned out in the cacophony of religious
rhetoric.
 The verdict underscored the need for promoting a culture of social and religious
tolerance, and provided eight wide- ranging recommendations, including prompt
registration of criminal cases against those who desecrate places of worship;
setting up of a special police force to protect places of worship; taking action
against people who initiate or spread hate speech on social media; and
amending school and college curricula to help promote religious tolerance.
 It is often the case in Pakistan, if any action was taken, it was inadequate, much
to the concern of religious minority groups in Pakistan. Their worries have not
been misplaced, as the church attacks in Lahore (2015) and Quetta (2017), and
the mob violence in Mirpurkhas and Ghotki this year, later demonstrated. It is
ironic that a country founded on the principle of religious freedom as enunciated
by the Quaid has done so little to protect the minority groups residing within its
boundaries. Every citizen must be equally free in the eyes of the state,
irrespective of his or her religious beliefs.
 In the backdrop of targeted violence against minorities— especially the recent
violence in Ghotki and Mirpurkhas — and the issue of forced conversion of Hindu
girls, it is no surprise that death of Nimrita Chandani, a final-year student at the
Bibi Aseefa Dental College in Larkana.
 Hence, it was heartening to see civil society rallying together for the protection of
minorities. The protest in Karachi was also attended by the leader of a religious
party. Participants demanded another judicial inquiry into the desecration of
temples in Ghotki, following an incident of alleged blasphemy by a Hindu school
owner earlier in the week.
 As disturbing as the violence (that also damaged businesses owned by the Hindu
community) in Ghotki was, it was reassuring to see images on social media
showing Muslims sitting inside the temples to prevent further destruction by a
raging mob. These intermittent displays of support by people belonging to the
majority faith show that there are pockets of tolerance that might help the country
overcome its larger demons.

x. Sexual Harassment/Pedophile/Abduction Cases:

 SAHIL, a nonprofit organisation working for the rights and protection of children,
recently published its findings on instances of child sexual abuse carried out last
year. Taken from 85 newspapers, the results are horrifying: 3,832 cases of
sexual abuse were reported in 2018.
o The majority (63pc) of cases were reported from Punjab,
o Followed by 34pc from Azad Kashmir,
o 27pc from Sindh,
o 4pc from KP,
o 2pc from Balochistan,
o 3pc from Islamabad, and
o Six cases from Gilgit-Baltistan.
 Out of the total number of victims, 55pc victims were girls and 45pc were boys.
 When keeping in mind that these are simply the number of reported cases in a
country where people are understandably apprehensive about reaching out to
law-enforcement agencies over crimes of a sexual nature, it becomes clear that
this is just the tip of the iceberg.
 The list of victims is endless. It did not start with Zainab in 2018, or with Kasur in
2015. Indeed, the abuse and sexual abuse of children is this nation’s hidden
shame. The cycle of violence will only end when the culture of silence ends. We
need to start having that difficult conversation now.
 As many as 1,300 cases of child sexual abuse have been recorded only in the
first six months of this year, according to the NGO Sahil. Yet, the reported cases
are only the tip of the iceberg as countless parents shy away from registering
police cases.
Our hidden Shame:
 The recent arrest of a known pedophile, Sohail Ayaz, has raised serious
questions about the government’s handling of child sexual abuse cases. Ayaz
had previously been convicted and sentenced to prison in the UK for child sexual
offences, and then, reportedly, deported by Italy for his links to a child
pornography ring. Unfortunately, this was not flagged by the authorities here, and
he was able to secure a working contract with a KP government department
under a foreign-funded project.
 If it hadn’t been for the mother of his latest alleged victim, there would have been
no stopping his sickening activities. She approached the police in Rawalpindi
when her son disappeared for four days. Police said that Ayaz has admitted to
raping at least 30 children in Pakistan alone.
 It is astonishing that Ayaz was caught after allegedly raping 30 children; had
none of the parents of the victims come forward to report the crime to the
authorities and demand stern action? This also shows the parents’ lack of trust in
the law- enforcement authorities that have a track record of victim shaming and
mishandling cases of this nature.
 Who can forget the comment of a police officer in Shahzad Town, Islamabad,
who told the family of a missing 10-year-old girl in May that she might have
escaped? When the police did spring into action later, after widespread
condemnation, it was discovered that the suspect had been booked in two similar
cases.
 Meanwhile, the Chunian case suspect was found to have been nearly arrested
twice before. Then there was the notorious serial rapist and killer Imran Ali in
Kasur city, who was caught only after protests erupted when the body of little
Zainab was found in a garbage dump. Four years after the child pornography ring
was busted, the victims — almost 300 victims — from Hussain Khanwala village
in Kasur district still await justice.
 And just last week, the mother of a 12-year-old girl filed a complaint against her
husband for allowing another man to sexually abuse the child for Rs500.
Kasur’s fault line
 Once again, protests have erupted in the city of Kasur over the sexual abuse and
murder of children, and parents are forced to relive their worst nightmare, as
painful memories of the not-too-distant past resurface.The bodies of three out of
a reported five missing boys were discovered in Chunian tehsil: eight-year-old
Faizan and Suleman Akram, and nine-year-old Ali Husnain.
 Kasur’s trade and local bar associations have called for a strike until arrests are
carried out. Following these calls for strikes and agitation from the public —
which saw protesters pelting stones at a police station, burning tyres, shutting
down shops, and blocking roads — the Punjab police have suspended two of its
officials for failing to carry out their duty to protect and serve the public. They also
claim to have detained several suspects in connection with the murder of the
children, and will be carrying out DNA tests soon. Such knee-jerk efforts may or
may not deliver justice, but they certainly help in managing public perceptions.
 In 2015, the country was shaken when news of hundreds of videos of young
children being forced to perform sexual acts on adults surfaced. These videos
were allegedly sold in the market or used to blackmail the parents of the children.
As the alleged were high-profile patrons in power or with close links to those in
power were never arrested.
 Then came the news of the horrific rape and murder of six-year-old Zainab
Ansari in 2017, which led to even greater outrage, with countrywide protests and
increased pressure on the PML-N government. In an attempt to assuage the
protests, the then Punjab government hastily carried out the execution of one
Imran Ali, who the court found guilty of rape and murder. But the problem did not
end there — even if it silenced the protesters for the time being.
 In December 2018, four other people were arrested for purchasing minor girls for
prostitution in Kasur. Clearly, the scale of the rot is extensive for such incidents to
keep happening over and over again in one part of the country. Indeed, the
sexual abuse of children is Pakistan’s hidden shame.
Abduction and Assault Cases in Rawalpindi:
 Forty-Five girls preyed upon in the space of two years’ time, another abduction-
and-assault case, reported from Rawalpindi, has unveiled the demons that lurk
unchecked in our midst. The alleged perpetrators are a man, with knowledge of
IT, and his wife of two years.
 The two would reportedly lure young girls to their home where the man would
rape the hostages and his wife film the act. It took a courageous student to break
the silence earlier this month and set the police in pursuit of the husband-wife
team.
 After the man’s confession, the police effort to get more victims to record their
statements has hit a blank. They say they do not have the technology to analyse
laptops and other gadgets that have been used. The police lacking the required
equipment in this day and age, and having to call the FIA for help, is simply
absurd.
 It is a rather sad reflection on our primary line of defence against all and any kind
of crime. A force so lacking in resources can hardly inspire feelings of security
among those the police are charged with protecting. Not just that, it seems that
whereas the absence of new tools to perform police functions is generally a
worrisome issue, the force is fast forgetting something which it once was quite
good at: monitoring what went around in a neighbourhood through its officials
and net of informers.
 It was the 45th girl who spoke up and brought the serial crime to an end in this
case. There would have been more victims had she not broken the silence.
Those on watch and guard duties seemingly had no way of seeing anything
suspicious going on. This is a very scary picture.

Workplace Sexual harassment

 There can be no denying fact that workplace sexual harassment is rampant in
Pakistan — as it is across the world. There are cultural contexts that may
 differentiate how it manifests here, but our society is nonetheless no exception,
and poorer socioeconomic indicators for Pakistani women compared to men
exacerbate this issue.
 Sexual harassment at work plays a significant role in discouraging women from
employment and impeding their full career potential. Yet, despite these obvious
truths, arbitration on sexual harassment cases — particularly those that are
made public and widely reported in the press — remains deeply contentious,
even in terms of arriving at a consensus of what constitutes ‘sexual harassment’.

Awareness of Abuse:
 This year it was Farishta; the year before, Zainab — this in a country where the
2015 discovery of the Kasur child pornography ring had already begun to feel like
a distant fever dream. Years before, the disappearances of scores of boys in
Lahore went unnoticed until the killer himself came forward. Back in 2000, their
horrible deaths moved the sentencing judge to describe a similarly horrible
manner of execution.
 Last year, the idea of public executions was again stoked during the media
spectacle surrounding Zainab’s case. What garnered significantly less attention
was that, in 2018 alone, over 3,800 other cases of child sexual abuse were
documented in Pakistani newspapers. These cases only represent the tip of a
vast iceberg; there are countless cases of unnamed children whose abuse and/or
murders go unacknowledged each year across Pakistan.
 It comes as a welcome sign that, the ‘Protect Our Children’ awareness campaign
was launched by the Ministry of Human Rights with support from the European
Union. Indeed, for months, the country’s leading mental health experts have
been calling not only for caregivers and educators to be briefed as well as be
able to identify signs of abuse or neglect, but for children to be made aware of
their right to safety and bodily integrity.
 As the primary group affected by such violence, children must be involved by
being taught basic life skills to protect themselves and offset the potential for
abuse to lead to further isolation and trauma. The stigma associated with sexual
 abuse is a huge barrier to tackling this societal scourge. It cannot be eradicated
by limiting the responsibility of having these important conversations with children
to parents alone.
 Schools must be seen as safe spaces that equip students with all the necessary
tools needed to survive and thrive. While it remains to be seen how much this
aspect will be taken up by the campaign, which would involve federal and
provincial collaboration to introduce life-skills education in school curricula, other
proactive measures have been highlighted.
 The National Commission on the Rights of the Child, pilot child courts, and
juvenile justice reform. It is hoped that this important work is never again
relegated to the back-burner.

xi. Zainab Alert Bill:

 The National Assembly approved the Zainab Alert, Recovery and Response Bill,
2019, exactly two years after the body of nine-year-old Zainab Ansari, a rape-
murder victim, was found in Kasur in 2018.
 Under the Zainab Alert, Recovery and Response Bill, 2019, the maximum
sentence handed down to perpetrators of child sexual abuse will be life
imprisonment with a fine of Rs1 million while the minimum sentence will be 10
years.

xii. University harassment Scandal:

 The sexual harassment and blackmailing scandal erupted at the University of
Balochistan may well have exposed the education of thousands of young women
in the province. The fact that the privacy and safety of students at a well-
regarded institution is being taken so lightly by the varsity administration raises
concerns about the credibility of other universities in the country as well.
 As per the details, students were being filmed by secret cameras installed in
washrooms and smoking areas inside the campus. According to FIA officials, the
videos recorded were of a ‘personal nature’ and involved the mingling of male
and female students.
 So far, the FIA has been able to trace 12 videos that were used to blackmail and
harass female students. Statements by various students’ organisations seem to
confirm claims that such harassment had been going on for quite some time on
campus.
 An atmosphere of fear and anger justifiably prevails, with students calling for the
vice chancellor to resign. It is a matter of shame that the university ignored the
students’ complaints and they had to approach the Balochistan High Court that
took suo motu notice.
 These disturbing developments have affected both male and female students,
but it is obvious that it is the latter who will feel the effects the most. Balochistan
is regarded as the least developed of the provinces, and national and
international statistics bear this out. The female literacy rate in the province is
33.5pc as compared to 52pc for the rest of the country, according to the Pakistan
Economic Survey of 2018-19.

xiii. Women workers:

 Women labourers who pick cotton from the fields of Sindh highlighted their
grievances at a recent press conference in Karachi, flanked by members of
human rights organisations. Other than long hours and tough working conditions
that expose them to a host of health complications — the lack of safety measures
provided by employers making them especially vulnerable to disease and injury
on the job — they are paid very low wages and are offered virtually no social
protection.
 The women present at the event requested the Sindh government to give them
the same status and rights that industrial workers are entitled to. Workers
employed in the agriculture economy are some of the most exploited and ill-
treated. Since there is no data and agriculture is considered part of the ‘informal’
economy, it is uncertain what percentage of women are employed, but labour
organisers estimate that nearly half of the total agricultural workforce of Sindh
consists of women. Due to their perceived lower social status, they are left all the
more defenceless.
 The Sindh cabinet approved the Sindh Women Agriculture Act this year, but it is
yet to be passed by the Sindh Assembly. It may be a rarely acknowledged truth,
but much of this country’s economy runs on the backs of women. It is time their
voices are heard.

xiv. Honor Killings:

 Every week in Pakistan brings fresh news of wives strangled, daughters shot or
sisters drowned for a perceived slight to family “honour”. Sometimes a single
person is responsible; more often, a group of male family members is involved.
The vast majority of the killers go unpunished. Honor crimes fester in the dark
privacy of the home. It is time to expose these abuses to the light of public
scrutiny and the law.
 Statistics from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan suggest there were
1,276 such murders over a two-year period beginning in February 2014, 400 of
which were officially registered as crimes by the police. Human rights
campaigners say more than 1,500 killings occurred between 2016 and 2018, a
figure confirmed by Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
 Pakistan’s parliament unanimously passed legislation against killings linked to
the concept of “honour”, or “izzat”, following the murder of Qandeel Baloch in
2016. The death of the social media celebrity, who was killed by her brother in
the name of “honour”, sparked international outrage.
o The bill authorised life imprisonment for convicted murderers. Previously,
killers could win – or buy – freedom if the victim’s relatives forgave them.
 Just as matters related to family are settled in blood, so too those who try to alert
the authorities risk their lives. Afzal Kohistani, a whistleblower who called for the
punishment of tthose involved in the Kohsitan scandal, in which five women died
as well as Kohistani’s three brothers, was murdered in March this year.
 It is government for not empowering women and supporting patriarchy. Because
government is run by tribal lords and elites. And local police or administration
refrain from making arrests in “honour” related cases. This happens in most rural
areas of Pakistan.”
 In August 2008, after three girls were buried alive in Balochistan province for
wishing to marry of their own will, local media reported that a minister and other
influential people were involved in the crime. When the incident was discussed in
Pakistan’s senate, two senators at that time, Sardar Israrullah Zehri and Taj
Jamali, defended the act and called it “tribal custom”.
 Recently, a 21-year old woman in Punjab was found raped and strangled to
death by the man she had trusted to save her from an “honor” killing by her
family.
 In early June, Saba Maqsood miraculously survived being shot by her relatives
and dumped into a canal in Hafizabad town in Pakistan’s Punjab province for
trying to marry the man of her choosing against family wishes.
 A week earlier in Lahore, Farzana Iqbal was brutally beaten to death with bricks
by up to two dozen relatives, including her father, for marrying the man she
loved.
 Most cases like this, however, receive scant attention by the public and the
police, as they often happen in small villages or behind closed doors. In
February, for example, Ayat Bibi was bludgeoned to death in a north Balochistan
village on the orders of a local cleric after being accused by a male relative of
having relations with a man named Daraz Khan, who was also killed. Ayat and
Daraz’s final resting places are both unmarked graves. Those responsible for the
killings have not been brought to justice. Sadly, hundreds of women and girls are
subject to “honor” killings in Pakistan every year.
 Qadir Naseeb is one of the many journalists who now rarely cover “honour” killing
stories. “I have been threatened by influential people and tribal heads while
reporting. No matter how much one highlights this menace, government rarely
arrest and punish the culprits. The disturbing part is that all the killers I
interviewed never felt guilty.”
 Maliha Saeed has been a woman’s rights advocate for decades. She says the
government needs to do a lot more to curb honour killing. “It has to empower
women economically and socially. Government should instruct the Pakistan
Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to spread the message against honour
 killings through news channels, dramas. It should discourage violence against
women.”
 Justice has been done, an outcome seen far too seldom in cases of ‘honour’
killing. A model court in Multan sentenced Mohammed Waseem, the brother of
Qandeel Baloch, to life imprisonment for murdering his sister. Five others,
including another brother, were acquitted, while a third brother who lives in Saudi
Arabia was declared a proclaimed offender. The court ruled that the prosecution
had conclusively proved the social media star was strangled to death by
Waseem in July 2016 at her parents’ home in Multan. He later confessed to the
police that he had killed his sister because he believed Qandeel had brought
‘dishonour’ upon his family with her risqué pictures and videos.
 His lack of regret was typical of such cases in which perpetrators are motivated
by patriarchal notions where women are repositories of honour and liable to be
punished should they engage in ‘unacceptable’ behaviour. However, in an
unusual twist, Qandeel’s parents themselves demanded justice for their daughter
and steadfastly refused to pardon their sons, at least until recently when —
perhaps worn down from the long legal proceedings — they submitted an
affidavit saying they had forgiven the men.
 If the anti-honour killing law had not been passed in 2016, just a few months after
Qandeel’s death, that affidavit may well have allowed yet another murderer to
walk free.
 The new law, however, has tightened this loophole considerably as well as
enhanced the punishment. Now, the court can refuse to accept any compromise
and, upon finding the accused guilty of honour killing, sentence him to life
imprisonment.
 Hopefully, the maximum sentence handed down to Honor Killers that claims
close to 1,000 lives every year will become the norm rather than the exception.
The social media star was often derided for her claims of being a feminist by
virtue of living life on her own terms; nevertheless, in death she has struck a blow
for women in her country.
xv. Acid Attacks:
 Few crimes are more heinous than acid attacks. In a matter of seconds, the
burning substance permanently disfigures victims and alters the quality of their
lives, the offence is ‘worse than murder’. Even though the survivor had forgiven
the offender — under what circumstances, we do not know — but such crimes
deserve no mercy in the eyes of the law.
 Acid throwing was a serious issue in Pakistan. It was one of the worst forms of
violence against women in local society. According to Acid Survivors Foundation
Pakistan (ASF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), at least 3,412 cases
have been reported in Pakistan between 1999 and June 2019. These attacks
affected as many as 3,791 victims.
 The Acid Survivors Foundation Pakistan (ASFP) reported that cases of acid
attacks on women have dropped by around 50 per cent compared to the last five
years. In 2016 and 2017, there were a total of 71 victims of acid attacks, whereas
between 2018 and 2019, there were 62 cases related to acid throwing, 11 cases
of burning, and 4 about multiple burns.
 The Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Act, 2011, condemns perpetrators
to life imprisonment and also penalises unauthorised sellers with fines and jail
sentences of one to two years. Since the passing of such legislation, there has
been a noted drop in the number of acid attacks in the country — though the
appalling crime has still not been eliminated.
 The Acid and Burn Crime Bill, 2017, offers free medical treatment and
rehabilitation for acid burn victims. It also outlines a process for conducting trials
of accused in the shortest possible time.
 There are several instances of attacks on men, the victims and survivors of acid
attacks in Pakistan are disproportionately women, largely hailing from south and
central Punjab. The attacks are typically carried out by rejected suitors and
former partners reasserting their warped sense of control by brutally taking away
an intrinsic part of the woman’s identity, her right to make her own decisions, and
simply pursue her own path to happiness.
 Powerful men nursing bruised egos take revenge on women when spurned,
sometimes following years of physical and psychological abuse. Many
perpetrators are able to escape their punishment due to loopholes in the law.
Since the victims are typically known to the attackers, and already in a vulnerable
position, they forgive them due to financial constraints or under coercion.

xvi. Coal Miners:

 Each day, coal miners in Balochistan risk their lives to earn a livelihood, as they
enter death traps full of toxic gases with negligible safety equipment. And the
body count keeps rising. According to the Pakistan Central Mines Labour
Federation, 100 to 200 labourers lose their lives in coal mine accidents every
year.
 Very recently, nine miners died after a short circuit caused an explosion inside a
mine in Quetta’s Degari area. After nearly two days had passed, eight lifeless
bodies were recovered from inside the mine, while two miners were rushed to
hospital. One surrendered to his injuries, while the other remains in critical
condition. Rescue efforts often prove deadly, and are largely conducted by other
miners. In the initial rescue effort in Degari, PDMA (Provincial Disaster
Management Authority) members lost consciousness when they tried to rescue
the 11 trapped workers.
 In Pakistan, miners are virtually powerless, unable to secure even basic rights in
the presence of powerful mine owners, some of whom occupy seats in the
government. Their deaths have become so common that they barely cause a
ripple. The underlying issues of greed and exploitation are quickly buried under
more hot-button issues. At best, a few words of sorrow are offered and an inquiry
ordered — the standard procedure.
 Labour organisations have recommended that:
o All employment at mines be regularised immediately, with minimum wage
and eight-hour work shifts guaranteed.
o Second, miners must be provided with medical facilities and safety
equipment.
 o Third, the amount of oxygen and temperature inside the mines should be
legislated and notified, while air-circulation systems must be installed.
o And last, workers have to be covered under social security and EOBI
laws.

xvii. Mob Mentality:

 “Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in
herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one,” a Scottish
journalist wrote in the 19th century.
 In the most recent instance, a 16-year-old child, accused of stealing, was beaten
to death by a mob in Karachi’s Bahadurabad neighbourhood. He was stripped off
his clothes and had his entire ordeal filmed on camera. This was not the first
episode of its kind, and it is unlikely to be the last either.
 We cannot forget the public killing in 2010 of two young brothers, Mughees and
Muneeb, lynched on the streets of Sialkot with the police urging on the mob,
while a crowd of spectators watched? Or the lynching of a Christian couple,
Shama and Shehzad, accused of blasphemy by rabid villagers in Kot Radha
Kishan, in 2014? Or the murder of Mashal Khan — a bright, young man full of
promise — by his fellow students at Mardan University in 2017?
 When face to face with an enraged mass, individuals stand little chance of
survival, let alone of getting justice. The names and locations of the victims may
change, but what all these incidents point to is the brutalisation of society and a
seething anger and frustration in the public psyche exacerbated by the steady
erosion of its faith in the state’s justice system.

xviii. Biased Education:

 A report prepared by two NGOs reconfirms the worst fears of how the system is
played against Pakistan’s religious minorities at all levels and in all areas. The
report by the Institute of Development Research and Corresponding Capabilities
and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan focuses on education. The
findings reflect the country’s depressing record on the treatment of its minorities,
 indicating the great distance between us and other nations that can justifiably
claim to be civilised.
 The survey sketches an embarrassing picture of the deeply ingrained intolerance
in the most basic unit — the classroom. The report describes how non-Muslims
are seen as “enemies of Islam by Muslim students and teachers”.
o Some 60pc of the non-Muslim students interviewed for this study had
“experienced discrimination or felt they were being discriminated against
and disrespected”.
o With such foundations, it is no surprise that the survey found that some
70pc of (non-Muslim) teachers had been discriminated against on the
basis of their faith, with parents experiencing a similar faith-based bias.
 Given that there is great reluctance among those routinely discriminated against
for their religious beliefs to come forward, the actual figures are probably much
higher. That means that ‘only’ 60 out of 100 students, or 70 out of 100 parents
alleging they were victims of the long-cultivated intolerance in the country, there
are very few non-Muslims who escape discrimination at the hands of those who
belong to the majority faith — so entrenched is partiality in society.
 The difficulties along the way must never be an excuse for slackening or refusing
to challenge existing societal attitudes that threaten to further divide a country in
desperate need of basic lessons in pluralism. There are individuals who have
taken a stand and those who must step forward to set an example. But it is the
state that must lead the way carefully. If it fails to do its duty by all its citizens it
will only sharpen societal divisions.

xix. Women want progress:

 In this year’s Progress of the World’s Women report, UN Women has highlighted
how placing women’s rights and family-friendly policies at the heart of public
planning and budgeting can have immense knock-on effects for the
socioeconomic development of the country.
 Pakistan has a long way to go before it can realise the goal of ensuring the
health, happiness and safety of all its citizens. Much of this has to do with the fact
that political and policy considerations have always been skewed towards a
 male-centric model of development. But it is women who, as social and biological
caregivers, have the most to offer to address the many crises afflicting our
nation.
 With over 101m women in Pakistan according to the last census, the status of
women across all classes is abysm ally worse than that of men. Pakistani women
are overwhelmingly undernourished; undereducated; underpaid,
unacknowledged and undocumented for their labour; they lack access to social
and financial services; and are and are vulnerable to exploitation and violence.
The math is simple: improving the conditions of one half of the population will
strengthen families, communities and, in turn, the country.
 Pakistan cannot advance unless it ensures a more equitable arrangement for
women to advocate for their families’ well-being. Two key areas require urgent
attention.
o One is the persistently high levels of violence against women in the public
and domestic spheres, and
o The other is their lack of financial inclusion.
 Women’s access to microfinance options has consistently shown that they tend
to invest with self-sacrifice and foresight, spend and save prudently, and
stimulate economic and entrepreneurial activity — significantly improving the
socioeconomic indicators of their families and communities. But the threat of
coercion and abuse will forever thwart this progress without robust legal and
social protections.
 It is hoped that in the coming years more legislation, policies and programmes
are guided by gender-equality principles, and reflect women’s priorities — health,
education, economic opportunity and the guarantee of individual safety and
autonomy to pursue these goals. It’s time to put our house in order.

xx. Organ Donation:

 Before Abdul Sattar Edhi breathed his last, he made it clear that he wished to
donate his organs to help those in need and as a way of encouraging others to
follow his example. Upon his death in 2016, at the age of 88, his corneas were
donated to two blind patients at the Sindh Institute of Urology and
 Transplantation. Edhi’s final act of generosity gave two individuals the blessing of
sight, something most take for granted.
 For a nation that prides itself on its charitable instincts, Pakistanis are very
niggardly about pledging their organs to save the lives of people experiencing
end-stage organ failure.
 There are around 200,000 individuals die from organ failure each year in this
country, including approximately 20,000 from renal failure — but until now there
have been only seven transplants with the help of deceased organ donations.
 Despite all efforts, only 15,000 people in Pakistan have thus far registered as
organ donors.
 This glaring gap between demand and supply, and growing income inequality,
has given rise to a black market for human organs, where surgeries are
performed illegally and without the necessary post-operative care — often on the
poorest and most vulnerable members of society.
 To counter these dangerous practices, while providing vital services to those
most in need, some parliamentarians have been trying to pass laws that would
encourage and facilitate deceased organ donation.
 MQM Senator proposed an amendment to the Transplantation of Human Organs
and Tissues Bill. The revision would allow for a distinction made on the CNICs of
organ donors, which would make their consent clear in the event of a fatal
accident. As noted by the senator, such a mechanism is already in place in
several countries around the world. But it seems neither Nadra nor the other
members of the Senate are ready for change.

3. Human Rights Violations in World:

i. China:
 Numerous foreign media outlets have highlighted the situation in Xinjiang,
particularly with respect to the Muslim Uighur ethnic group. There have been
claims that the Turkic Uighurs are being forced by Beijing to abandon their
religious and cultural practices, though the state denies this. The unrest in Hong
 Kong also refuses to die down, as protesters have been taking to the streets in
the former British colony for several months now.

ii. India:
 1.9m people excluded from the final list of the National Register of Citizens in
Assam, published by the Indian government. These are the people — mostly
Bengali-speaking Muslims — that have been deemed to be ‘foreigners’ by virtue
of being unable to prove that they or their forebears lived or entered India before
March 1971, prior to which Bengalis were actively encouraged to migrate to
India. Many have been living in Assam for decades, or have known no other
home but India.
 With the threshold for documentary proof high, and the appeals process long and
murky, the process of updating the NRC has been mired in controversy given the
BJP’s penchant for stoking anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant sentiment.
 Given that discrimination and dehumanisation are often precursors to a potential
genocide, it is little wonder that human rights groups are so alarmed. Over 1,100
people are already imprisoned in Assam’s so-called foreigner detention centres.
 If the Rohingya crisis of 2017, when hundreds of thousands were stripped of
Burmese citizenship and forced to flee Myanmar into Bangladesh, seemed a
colossal human tragedy, what may occur in Assam might well be even more
unimaginably catastrophic.

iii. Afghanistan:
 As military operations by insurgents, international, and government forces in
Afghanistan intensified in 2018, insurgent attacks in urban areas sharply
increased. The widening armed conflict killed or injured more than 10,000
civilians between January and December reported by Human Rights Watch.
Insurgents targeting civilians and carrying out indiscriminate attacks were
responsible for the vast majority of these, but an increase in airstrikes by US and
Afghan forces also caused hundreds of civilian casualties during the year.
Neither the US nor the Afghan governments conducted adequate investigations
into airstrikes that represented possible war crimes.
 For the first time since 2002, the number of children in school fell; 60 percent of
Afghan girls were not in school during the year.
 Under the Trump administration’s South Asia strategy, announced in 2017, US
troop levels increased to 15,000, including an elite brigade of 800 military
advisers who deployed with Afghan forces in March. The US expanded airstrikes
and covert drone attacks, releasing over 5,000 bombs and missiles in
Afghanistan between January and November, the highest number since 2011.
 Most shocking is the fact that in the first half of 2019, the majority of these
Afghans were killed by Nato and government forces. As per the UN’s figures,
over 1,200 civilians were killed in acts of violence in the first six months of this
year; more than 700 of these casualties were the result of air strikes and night
raids carried out by Afghan forces and their foreign backers.
 However the Taliban, as well as the self-styled Islamic State group, which has a
considerable presence in Afghanistan, have directly targeted 300 civilians.
Unfortunately, attacks are a frequent occurrence in Afghanistan. Recently over
30 people were killed when an IED went off targeting a bus in the western part of
the country. The government says the Taliban are responsible for the atrocity,
while the militia has denied involvement.
 At a meeting held in Doha last month, members of the Taliban, civil society
figures as well as Afghan politicians attending the event in their ‘personal’
capacity pledged to bring civilian casualties down to zero.
 The Afghan state has a responsibility to protect the country, such a high number
of civilian casualties in government offensives are unacceptable, especially when
Kabul is backed by the highly advanced military machine of its Western backers.
The Taliban will also not win any hearts and minds if they continue to target non-
combatants. The path to peace in Afghanistan is marked by the strange
dichotomy of fighting and talking at the same time by the belligerents. A
conscious effort needs to be made by all sides to live up to their pledges of
protecting civilians and reducing collateral damage. Although terrorist groups like
IS cannot be expected to have such scruples, the Afghan state, as well as the
Taliban, needs to stop targeting non-combatants.
 As the Afghan peace process continues at a relatively moderate pace, even
while the stakeholders continue to fight each other, a major confidence-building
measure can be a pledge to not kill civilians. This must be the target for Kabul,
for the Americans as well as for the Taliban. Unless all stakeholders pledge to
protect the lives of the Afghan people, and actively work towards the goal, their
efforts to pursue peace will look hollow and appear to be little more than
machinations to capture (or keep) power.

iv. Rohingya:
 Amidst heightened security, a high-profile delegation from Myanmar recently
visited refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazaar. Following growing
international pressure on Myanmar’s leadership over its treatment of the
Rohingya Muslim population, the subsequent refugee crisis the most recent
crackdown created, and the inability to ensure a safe climate for return, the
delegation’s mission was to again try and convince the Rohingya to go back.
 Approximately 700,000 Rohingya escaped from the extreme violence unleashed
on them by the authorities in Myanmar between August 2016 and December
2017, as they settled in squalid refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh.
Another 16,000 entered the country in 2018.
 Currently, there are over one million Rohingya refugees inside Bangladesh,
which is struggling to accommodate them and has voiced its concerns several
times at international forums. However, it has also said that it will not force the
Rohingya to go back against their will. Nearly two years ago, the two countries
signed a repatriation agreement. And yet, not a single Rohingya has expressed
any willingness to return to his or her homeland. It is not hard to see why the
community is afraid.
 While the Rohingya may have been born in Myanmar, the country can hardly be
described as home. Human rights groups have described the internment camps
in Rakhine state, where around 400,000 Rohingya continue to live, as an ‘open-
air prison’. Their movement is heavily restricted, but their plight is not new.
 Since the 1970s, the Rohingya were collectively and cruelly deprived of their
citizenship status by Myanmar. Since then, they have effectively been rendered
stateless, the root cause of their plight.
 The Rohingya are not even listed in Myanmar’s 135 official ethnic groups, and
are instead referred to as ‘Bengali’, highlighting their outsider status. Given the
label of the ‘world’s most persecuted minority’, they have no rights to speak of
and no place to call home.
 Rohingya community elders have made it clear that they will not return to
Myanmar until their security and dignity can be ensured. However, until they are
granted citizenship, it is unlikely that their dignity will ever be upheld. While
putting greater pressure on the civil and military authorities in Myanmar to stop
their persecution of the Rohingya, the international community must also give
material assistance to Bangladesh, which has almost single-handedly taken on
the mammoth responsibility of handling a human crisis it had no part in creating.
17. Climate Change:
1. Climate Change: A Serious Threat to The World:
 Undoubtedly, climate change is a real existential threat, which has not only
jeopardized the survival of the whole human race but also of flora and fauna. If
this grave issue is not taken seriously, its consequences would be quite
catastrophic. The world should, therefore, make a common cause against this
geological mayhem since it is the question of our safety and security as well as of
our posterity. If we, God forbid, fail to arrest this colossal calamity in making, not
to mention us, our future generation would also be suffering from the devastating
effects of this global catastrophe, caused by our utter indifference and apathy.
 The climate can be described as the average weather over a while. “Climate
change” means a significant change in the measures of climate, such as
temperature, rainfall, or wind, lasting for an extended period – decades or longer.
The Earth’s climate has changed many times during the planet’s history, with
events ranging from ice ages to long periods of warmth. What’s different about
this period of the earth’s history is that human activities are significantly
contributing to natural climate change through our emissions of greenhouse
gases. The factors contributing to climate change are of two types i.e. natural
and the anthropogenic (human-induced).
 Naturally, climate changes due to the following reasons:
i. Orbital changes: Earth has natural warming and cooling periods caused
by variations in the tilt and/or orbit of the Earth around the Sun. If there is
any change in such periods, it will cause a change in the earth’s climate.
ii. Volcanic activity: During a volcanic eruption, carbon dioxide is released
into the atmosphere that results in global warming.
iii. Solar output: There can be fluctuations in the amount of radiation from
the sun. If there is a high amount emitted, there will be an increase in
Earth’s temperatures.
 However, anthropogenic factors causing climate change are of more concern
than natural since they are contributing extensively to global warming and,
hence, causing a great change in the overall atmosphere of the earth.
 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) affirms this fact that “Most of
the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century
is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic (produced by
humans) greenhouse gas emissions.”
 Examples of human activities contributing to climate change include:
i. Burning fossil fuels: coal, gas and oil release carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere.
ii. Deforestation: Trees absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. If
they are cut down, there will be higher amounts of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere.
iii. Dumping waste in landfill: When the waste decomposes, it produces
methane that contributes to global warming.
iv. Agriculture: Agricultural practices also lead to the release of nitrogen
oxides into the atmosphere that aids global warming.
 The impact of global warming is so devastating that it might endanger not only
human species but also all the biological kingdoms. Therefore, the future of the
world seems precarious as projected by climate change experts.
 Climate models predict that Earth’s global average temperate will rise in the
future. For the next two decades, warming of about 0.2° Celsius is projected. If
we continue to emit as many, or more, greenhouse gases, this would cause more
warming during the 21st Century than what we saw in the 20th Century.
 During the 21st Century, various computer models predict that Earth’s average
temperature would rise between 1.8° to 4.0° Celsius (3.2° and 7.2° F).
 Climate change is predicted to impact regions differently. For example,
temperature increases are expected to be greater on land than over oceans and
greater at high altitudes than in the tropics and mid-latitudes.
 Warmer average global temperature will also cause a higher rate of evaporation;
causing the water cycle to “speed up.” More water vapour in the atmosphere
would lead to more precipitation.
 According to models, global average precipitation would most likely to increase
by about three to five per cent with a minimum increase of at least one per cent
 and a maximum increase of about eight per cent. Yet, changes in precipitation
will not be evenly distributed. Some locations will get more snow; others will see
less rain. Some places will have wetter winters and drier summers.
 Moreover, as the climate warms, snow and ice also melt. The amount of summer
melting of glaciers, ice sheets, and other snow and ice on land is predicted to be
greater than the amount of winter precipitation. The amount of sea ice (frozen
sea water) floating in the ocean in the Arctic and Antarctic is expected to
decrease over the 21st Century too, although there is some uncertainty as to the
amount of melt.
 To add, earth’s oceans are predicted to act as a buffer against climate change by
taking up some of the excess heat and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This
is good news in the short run, but more problematic in the long run. Carbon
dioxide combined with seawater forms weak carbonic acid. Scientists believe this
process has reduced the pH of the oceans by about 0.1 pH since pre-industrial
times. Further acidification of 0.14 to 0.35 pH is expected by the year 2100. More
acidic ocean water may cause problems for marine organisms.
 Some climate scientists also believe that hurricanes, typhoons, and other tropical
cyclones will (and may have begun to already) change as a result of global
warming. Warm ocean surface waters provide the energy that drives these
immense storms. Warmer oceans in the future are expected to cause
intensification of such storms.
 “Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, and it is the
world’s most vulnerable populations who are most immediately at risk. The
actions of the wealthiest nations-those generating the vast majority of
greenhouse gases-have tangible consequences for people in the rest of the
world, especially in the poorest nations.
 Additionally, Climate change will also alter many aspects of biological systems
and the global carbon cycle. Temperature changes will alter the natural ranges of
many types of plants and animals, both wild and domesticated. There will also be
changes to the lengths of growing seasons, geographical ranges of plants, and
frost dates. Models of the global carbon cycle suggest that the Earth system will
 be able to absorb less CO2 out of the atmosphere as the climate warms,
worsening the warming problem.
 Pakistan is also one of the worst-hit countries of the world by climate change. PM
Imran Khan, while addressing the 74th UNGA, also voiced the same concern;
saying that Pakistan was the seventh most vulnerable country in the world to
global warming despite that it contributed less than one per cent to the total
greenhouse gas emissions.
 A World Bank report, “Pakistan’s Hotspots – The Impact of Temperature and
Precipitation Changes on Living Standards,” released in July 2018, claimed that
by 2050, annual average temperatures were projected to increase to 2.5°C under
the climate “sensitive scenario” (which represents a future in which some
collective action is taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions) and up to 3.0°C
under the carbon “intensive scenario” (in which no serious actions are taken).
 Approximately 49 million or 25 per cent of Pakistan’s total population, lives in
locations that will become “moderate hotspots” by 2050 under the carbon-
intensive scenario. Therefore, containing the temperature is essential to prevent
major areas of Pakistan from becoming uninhabitable in a future not too far
away.
 What is more, to worry is that climate change poses a serious threat to the living
standards of the vast population of Pakistan. The report further indicates Sindh
province as the most vulnerable hotspot. With a GDP per capita of US $1,400,
Sindh is the second-largest economy of Pakistan and contributes 30 per cent to
the national GDP. Its economy is highly diversified, ranging from heavy industry
and finance centred in and around Karachi to a substantial agricultural base
along the Indus River. Changes in precipitation and temperature threaten to
impede the future growth of this region. According to the report, Hyderabad
district in Sindh emerges as the top hotspot, followed by Mirpur Khas and Sukkur
districts.
 The second most vulnerable hotspot is the densely populated province of
Punjab. Punjab has the largest economy, contributing 53.3 per cent to Pakistan’s
GDP, and is known for its relative prosperity with the lowest poverty rate of all the
 provinces. However, its wealth is unevenly distributed, with the northern portion
being relatively well off economically and the southern portion being one of the
most impoverished areas in the country. Long-term climate vulnerability thus
carries implications for both shared prosperity and poverty reduction of this
province.
 Interestingly, some of the most densely populated cities – including Lahore,
Multan, and Faisalabad – emerge among the top 10 hotspot districts. This
indicates that we must prepare not only the more impoverished areas for the
adverse effects of climate change, but also protect the economic hubs of the
provinces.
 And with the changing cropping calendar, and more unpredictable monsoon
season, Pakistan’s food insecurity is also under increasing threat of climate
change. We are also, on one hand, fast losing our coastline to seawater invasion,
while at the other, glaciers are fast melting, resulting in permanent reductions in
water flows in our rivers. The increasing unpredictability in river flows has also
made planning for hydro-energy much more difficult and unreliable. As
environmental degradation takes place, livelihood options shrink, forcing people
to migrate to cities in search of economic opportunities. Climate-induced
migration has already made Pakistan one of the most urbanized counties in
South Asia.
 Pakistan has also suffered economically. Pakistan has faced around 150 freak
weather incidents in the past 20 years: flash floods and smog in winter, forest
fires in summer, melting glaciers, freaky heatwaves, landsides, displaced
population, etc. During floods in 2010-11, almost 10 per cent of Pakistan’s
population was displaced in two provinces Punjab and Sindh. Last year, the
costs of extreme weather were $384 million and in the past 20 years, the overall
loss has been almost $2 billion.
 In a nutshell, we must develop a two-pronged approach:
i. Firstly, we must reduce emissions and stabilise the levels of greenhouse
gases,
 ii. Secondly, we must adapt climate-friendly lifestyle and pursue sustainable
economic growth.
 Although Pakistan is facing environmental challenges, because of the
deteriorating economy, the country could not do much. But still, the present
government has launched Ten Billion Trees Tsunami Programme for revival of
forestry and control air, weather, wildlife, forestation, watershed management
and soil conservation.
 Furthermore, the country is amongst pioneers who established a climate change
ministry. In addition, the country has also launched the Climate Change Policy.
The National Climate Change Policy comprehensively addresses all possible
challenges and provides a foundational framework. But Pakistan cannot stand
alone against climate vulnerabilities, it is a global issue and it is high time for the
UN, along with all 195 countries, to not let the grass grow under its feet and act
now to save the mother earth.
 In the light of preceding discussion, it can be safely concluded that climate
change is a serious threat to the world therefore, it requires collective efforts of all
the stakeholders to make a synergy against this global geological mayhem since
it is not only a matter of our survival but also of our posterity,
 That’s why we must act together to meet this imminent challenge effectively. The
premier Khan, in his address at 74th UNGA, also suggested to the world
community that climate change is something, which cannot be dealt with by any
individual country until the world gets together.

2. Climate Emergency:
 The heat wave in Europe set records this summer – July being the hottest month
according to recorded temperature in the past – tells us that it is not even up to
debate anymore; climate change is a reality that is degrading the environment
now. Even a cursory analysis of the data reveals that the general trend is that
temperatures will rise and weather patterns will become more unpredictable in
the coming years.
 Most policymakers and the public in general have been satisfied with the fact that
this problem is one that will not affect us in the next forty years, but if the recent
 evidence is anything to go by, at this rate the situation in the next four decades
will be much worse than we originally imagined. Europe’s heat wave led to
increases of 3 Celsius in some countries and Greenland saw its vast ice sheet
melt to record levels in recent years since 2003.
 Europe has seen six heat waves with the time between them decreasing. After
2003 it took seven years for the next heat wave to hit in 2010, following which the
gap reduced to five years, with the next one coming in 2015, then two, with a
heat wave in 2017 and finally only one year; with two record-breaking hot months
in 2018, in both June and July. If a continent with relatively lower temperatures
can be so adversely affected, Asia’s fate might be much worse in the next
decade.
 As an agrarian country Pakistan’s whole way of life is threatened if weather
patterns continue to get more erratic. Entire villages and settlements on the
banks of rivers are threatened, fields of crops are likely to see more
inconsistency in yield numbers and extreme weather conditions such as droughts
and floods will hit the country with more frequency and cause greater
devastation. The monsoon season will hit harder when the total duration is
shorter, glacial melt will not only flood rivers but also cause permanent
temperature increases in the north and the heatwaves in the summer will only get
worse going forward.
 Reducing emissions and increasing the tree cover of Pakistan are steps that
must be taken to slow down these disastrous outcomes, however, the situation is
now at a point where simply planting more trees and reducing our carbon
footprint will not be sufficient. Urban drainage to mitigate the effects of floods,
improving on drinkable water storage to increase capacity and investing in
aquifer systems are only some examples of what needs to be done to preserve
the current way of life in Pakistan. The government talks about improving the
lives of citizens, but if this emergency is not dealt with adequately, we might not
even be able to ensure survivability for many in different parts of the country.
Action needs to be taken now.
3. Climate Change: Time to Panic?:
 The heatwave in 2018 that produced the fourth hottest year in the history of the
United States killed dozens from Quebec in Canada to Japan. There were the
most destructive wildfires in the Californian history that turned more than a million
acres to ash. Pacific hurricanes forced three million in China to flee and wiped
away almost all of Hawaii’s East Island.
 There are many other climate-related stories from around the world. We are
experiencing a world that has already warmed one degree Celsius since the late
1800s when records began to be kept.
 Scientists have determined that we are adding Earth-warming carbon dioxide to
the atmosphere at a rate faster than any other point in history since the beginning
of industrialisation.

4. Smog Another Environmental Challenge:

 For the past few years, the cities of central Punjab are facing different kind of
environmental pollution. Keeping aside the hazards caused by air pollution over
the years to the world globally, the new phenomenon of Smog is different and
difficult too. Smog is a kind of air pollution, originally named for the mixture of
smoke and fog in the air. According to scientific basis, classic smog results from
large amounts of coal burning in an area and is caused by a mixture of smoke
and sulphur dioxide. Like any other kind of pollution, smog also affects humans
and emerging as a problem in a number of cities and continues to harm human
health.
 Known as the atmospheric choking layer, some cities in Pakistan’s Punjab
including Lahore are facing trouble because of smog for the past three years or
so. Though it started from India where farmers are engaged in stubble or hay
burning and because of wind direction in winters, the smog engulfs areas in
Pakistan too. But with passage of time, every year this issue is getting critical and
instead of blaming cross border pollution, we need some serious approaches to
be made by government and public.
 According to the Air Quality Index developed by U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency to help explain air pollution levels to the general public, eight-hour
 average ozone concentration of 85 to 104 ppbv are described as “Unhealthy for
Sensitive Groups”, 105 ppbv to 124 ppbv as “unhealthy” and 125 ppb to 404 ppb
as “very unhealthy.”
 Smog can form in almost any climate where industries or cities release large
amounts of air pollution. Also the latest figures, issued by Amnesty International
Levels of air quality have been rated “near unhealthy” and “very unhealthy” for
most of the year in Punjab.
 During the “smog season” – from October to January – air quality reaches
“hazardous” levels, as recorded by multiple, independent sources including the
air quality monitors installed by the United States Consulate in Lahore and the
crowd sourced data collated by the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative. The Air Quality
Index (AQI) in one of days in Lahore reached 484.
 The threshold for hazardous levels of air quality is 300, where people were
advised to avoid all physical activity outdoors. Prolonged or heavy exposure to
hazardous air can result in severe health issues including asthma, lung damage,
lung infections and heart problems and shortened life expectancy hence putting
at risk people’s right to life and to health, as well as the right to a healthy
environment.
 The so-called “smog season” is where poor fuel quality, uncontrolled emissions
and crop burning worsens the quality of the already unhealthy air, from October
to December. Apart from hazardous breathing problems, low visibility during
smog results in accidents and loss of life. It’s not only in Pakistan but because of
rising air pollution in neighbouring country. Pakistan-Indian authorities recently
had to declare a public emergency after pollution level in New Delhi became so
high that experts said it was like smoking up to 50 cigarettes a day.
 There are number of ways to tackle air pollution and control smog. Interesting
example from history is of UK. In 1956 the UK passed the Clean Air Act. It
regulated both industrial and domestic smoke, imposing smoke control areas in
towns and cities where only smokeless fuels could be burned and offering
subsidies to households to convert to cleaner fuels. The act was extended in
 1968, and air quality substantially improved in London through the following
decades.
 China’s growing industrialization also brought challenge in the form of air
pollution but the country tackled this issue wisely by cutting vehicle emissions,
government incentives for private businesses, data transparency and diversifying
the economy away from heavy industry to successfully cut pollution levels.

5. Climate Change to Increase Flood Risk in Pakistan:

 Heavy monsoons flooded the Northern Pakistan in July; leading to nearly 50
deaths and destruction to residences, infrastructure, and crops. These rains
came over the monsoon season, which historically has been the sign of flooding
for decades. Over to the East, monsoon-fueled storms and floods have ripped
through Nepal, Bangladesh, and India; displacing as many as five million people
from their homes, and leaving well over 600 dead.
 Extreme rainfall aligns with the impact of climate change. It is crucial to point out
that as the average temperature rises, the amount of moisture the atmosphere
can carry also increases. Researchers point out that for nearly every degree
Celsius rise in temperature, seven percent more moisture can be absorbed by
the air. This moisture, in turn, is then released through progressively increasing
precipitation.
 According to experts, the following years will see increasing rain instead of snow,
wide yearly variations in precipitation, and varying intensity and frequency of
extreme discharge events. River flood risk may double at the sub-national level
within the next two decades, hitting Punjab and Sindh the hardest. Floods are the
most common and destructive natural hazard in Pakistan, with 30 major floods
having devastated the country over the past 65 years. Flooding has caused
historic damage to the country; thousands of lives have been lost, and the
economic impact is in the billions. From 1950 to 2016, around 15,000 fatalities
were reported from riverine floods.
 The 2010 “mega flood” impacted the lives of nearly 20 million people, or 10
percent of the country’s population. The 2010 floods alone are estimated to have
caused losses worth $10.5 billion (or 6% of that year’s GDP) in lost productivity
 due to damages to infrastructure, agriculture, and ecosystem services. During
the following five years, a major flood event occurred at least once each year;
affecting at least one million people annually.
 Flooding causes direct financial losses due to widespread damage to homes and
infrastructure, and loss of livelihoods due to reductions in agricultural, livestock,
and business productivity. The impacts on an already overloaded healthcare
system, adverse effects on water and sanitation services, disruption of supply
chains and public transport, and a host of interlinked social impacts make floods
the most expensive of natural disasters.
 Given the significant damage and disruptions from floods over the past 50 years,
Pakistan needs continuous improvement in flood risk management and
reduction. Over the years, major investments have been made to enhance flood
protection infrastructure; however, increasing flood hazard risk due to climate
change, and the probability of large-scale flood exposure due to population
growth and economic development necessitate additional protective measures.
 It is crucial to point out that as climate change increases the frequency and
intensity of floods, greater investment will be required in the years to come.
Increased financing will be required for major infrastructure, reforms and
institutional strengthening, urban services, flood mitigation, monitoring, early
warning systems, water reservoirs, and environmental management. From a
legislative standpoint, land-use planning regulations with considerations for flood
risk management should be adopted and implemented from the provincial level.

6. Climate Change and Earthquake Crisis:

 In terms of geographical location, Pakistan is more prone than many other
countries to natural disasters, the frequency of which has drastically increased
owing to global warming.
 Recent earthquake in the area of New Mirpur lies on the active fault line, which,
experts say, was activated in the 2005 earthquake, this statement is simply
absurd and insensitive, and the people who lost their homes and loved ones
would disagree with it. The quake was the second major one to have hit the area
— that lies in seismic zone 4 (the most at risk) — in two decades.
 The bitter memories from the 2005 catastrophe that claimed almost 75,000 lives.
The devastation should have made a deep impact on how the government views
and deals with natural disasters, but unfortunately, we do not seem to be any
wiser.
 According to a report by the disaster management authority in KP, all 26 districts
of the province are now vulnerable to natural calamities because of the increased
frequency of extreme weather events in addition to seismic activity in the region
as compared to only 13 districts a decade ago.
 Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, with all its urban perils including substandard
construction, also lies in a zone of ‘noticeable’ seismic danger, according to the
Geological Survey of Pakistan. Many areas are so densely populated that only a
mild tremor would be enough to incur large- scale loss of lives.
 Regrettably, our collective approach towards disaster management leaves much
to be desired. It is time the government moved on from ‘first-aid rescue’ — the
short-term provision of tents, medicines and food to the affected — to developing
and then implementing a comprehensive and sustainable policy to counter
disaster and deal effectively with its aftermath.

7. Impact of Climate Change on the Hindu Kush:

 That Pakistan is a country highly vulnerable to climate change is not exactly
breaking news. A Germany-based think tank had already termed the country the
seventh most vulnerable nation to climate change in 2017. Before that in 2012,
the Worldwide Fund (WWF) for Nature report had stated that average
temperatures in the Subcontinent would rise by up to four-degree Celsius by the
year 2100. Now there has been another disturbing revelation.
 Scientists at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development have
warned in a report that 33 percent of the ice in the Himalayas and Hindu Kush
will thaw by the end of this century. According to their study, the effects will be
disastrous, not only disrupting river flows essential for growing crops, but also
reducing the region’s ability to produce hydropower. The study – authored by 210
researchers – specifically mentioned the Indus river system as vulnerable.
 The Hindu Kush Himalayas are considered the “third pole” because of the large
amount of water they store in ice form. According to scientists, if all the ice in this
region melted, it could push up global sea levels by a whopping 1.5 metres.
 Meaning that even if Pakistan and all the other regional governments made
halting climate change their foremost priority today, the Hindu Kush Himalayas
will still lose a third of their ice by the year 2100. This means all the associated
problems – including problems with power production, agricultural issues and
more frequent floods and landslides – are also not preventable.
 Regardless action must still be taken, lest these figures rise even further. The
governments of Pakistan, China and India must put aside all their differences and
deal with this problem on a war footing. Not only will this crisis economically
devastate all three countries, the Hindu Kush Himalayas are home to 250 million
people, with 1.65 million people living in the valleys below.
 In short, the Subcontinent and China could become the site for the biggest
environmental refugee crisis in the planet’s history in the near future if proactive
measures aren’t started today to deal with the catastrophe.
 This report must also serve as a moment for those in Islamabad still insisting on
construction of mega hydropower projects, despite mounting evidence on the
devastating environmental costs of such infrastructure projects. The authorities
must realise that the mega hydropower projects they’re planning aren’t
sustainable any longer, considering river flows in the country could completely
recreate themselves within the century.
 It is hoped that this latest piece of bad news regarding climate change will turn
some heads in Islamabad. Global warming is currently the biggest threat facing
humanity, and it deserves greater priority than any other issue that may be
occupying our government’s attention. That Pakistan alone cannot do much to
counter the problem must not be presented as an excuse to avoid it altogether.
Instead, we must join other states as well as non-governmental organisations in
raising voice against the threats of climate change and pushing global powers to
take notice of the threat so that action can be ensured.
8. Wildlife conservation:
 According to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), at least
four ecosystems in Pakistan are among the world’s most biologically outstanding
ecoregions. Pakistan is home to an estimated 174 species of mammals, 177
species of reptiles and 668 species of birds. Out of these, about 50 species of
mammals and 27 of birds are considered endangered, while 17 species of
insects are also under the threat of extinction.
 According to the WWF’s Living Planet Index report of 2018, populations of
mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles have declined by at least 64pc in
the Indo-Pacific region — which includes Pakistan — between 1970 and 2014.
The report also points out that the climate change has badly damaged the
country’s biodiversity, and it has termed smuggling of freshwater turtles and
pangolins as a major cause for concern. Furthermore, unchecked deforestation
over the years has caused many animals, such as the leopard, to lose their
habitat.
 The Ministry of Climate Change will collaborate with international organisations
working on ecosystem preservation and wildlife conservation to compile a red
data list for threatened or endangered wildlife and plant species. This list, will
provide data about the range, population size, habitat and ecology of and threats
to endangered species of animals, birds, insects and plants, which will enable to
identify and provide an outline for effective conservation efforts in the country.

9. How Land Use Impacts Our Climate:

 The most intellectual creature to ever walk Earth is destroying its only home.
Human-caused climate change has indeed put an immense strain on the mild
ecosystem of our planet, the consequences of which are becoming increasingly
apparent.
 Varied forms of human behaviour have combined to wreak havoc on the natural
environment. Polluting industrialisation processes, use of fossil fuels to meet
growing energy demands and creation of unsustainable food production systems
are all major contributors to an ever-growing environmental crisis.
 Land comprises only 30% of the Earth, and it is warming much faster than the
rest of the planet. In turn, climate change is worsening land degradation. It has
caused deserts to grow and has made forests more vulnerable to drought, fire,
pests and disease.
 Human land use is not only part of the environmental problem; it can also offer a
potential solution. Rethinking our agriculture and forestry policies can become a
powerful force in combatting climate change. At present, agriculture and forestry
are estimated to account for about 23% of the heat-trapping gases warming the
Earth (which is only slightly less than gases from automobiles, boats and planes).
Add in transporting food, energy costs, and packaging and that proportion grow
to over 35%.
 Yet land is also a great carbon “sink” which sucks heat-trapping gases out of the
air. Agriculture and forestry still pull more carbon dioxide out of the air than they
put into it. However, if we continue to deforest and destroy our soils, the carbon
currently being absorbed by our land will go into the atmosphere instead and
make the rate of global warming even worse.
 If people change their diets, reducing red meat and increasing plant-based foods
such as fruits, vegetables and seeds, the world can save as much as another
15% of the current emissions by mid-century. Reducing food waste can fight
climate change as well given that global food waste alone accounted for 8% to
10% of heat-trapping emissions between 2010 and 2016.
 If people change the way they eat, grow food, and manage forests, it could help
save the planet from a dangerously warmer future. Given the interconnected
nature of our global production and consumption system, however, this change
needs to occur within and across all countries around the world.
 Planting trees is one important part of rethinking the land use strategy, which
currently seems in vogue within Pakistan. However, other issues which also merit
equal attention are our agricultural and urban development strategies, which in
their current form remain quite unsustainable.
10. Top polluters:
 A report by the Break Free from Plastic (BFFP) a global movement illustrates
their appalling contribution to the problem of environmental pollution. BFFP
mobilised over 72,000 volunteers to conduct a ‘global audit’ by collecting
discarded single-use plastic waste to determine which international brands were
the worst offenders. Of the almost half a million pieces of plastic collected in 37
countries, 43pc was marked with a clear consumer brand.
 The top three offenders were Coca Cola, Nestle and Pepsico, with single-use
plastic waste belonging to Coca Cola adding up to 11,732 pieces, more than the
next three global polluters combined. Among the top 10 are also Unilever, Mars,
P&G, Phillip Morris and Colgate-Palmolive.
 In a world where ‘disposable’ had become a byword for convenience, there has
been a seismic shift during the past decade or so as awareness about
environmental pollution and climate change has increased.
 However, for giant multinationals such as the ones that emerged at the top of the
global audit, touches the bottom line social responsibility. Using cheap, non-
recyclable packaging material, the disposal of which they do not pay for, has
been a hugely successful business model.
 The consequences are disastrous, choking rivers and waterways, poisoning the
air when the plastic waste is burned; the toxic components then leach into the
soil and enter the food chain. While Pakistan was not on the list of countries
where the global audit was carried out, most of the multinationals that scored
among the top polluters in the report have a major presence in this country, with
a commensurate footprint in terms of plastic waste.
 But there is clearly more to the problem than the abundant plastic ‘shopper’.
What is the government going to do about the multinationals’ major contribution
to the scourge of plastic waste in the country?

11. A plastic World:

 In 2017, a team of scientists published their findings on global plastic production,
the study revealed that by 2015, a whopping 8.3bn metric tons of plastic had
been produced, out of which 6.3bn tons became waste. Only 9pc of that waste
 was recycled, while 12pc was destroyed. The remaining 79pc was simply
dumped into the environment and landfills. And it can take anywhere from 100 to
1,000 years to disintegrate.
 Perhaps the most disturbing finding was that approximately half of all the total
plastic waste was produced only since the turn of the century. To say that
humanity has an addiction to plastic is an understatement. Without large-scale,
long-term intervention, the problem will keep escalating.
 By 2050, an estimated 12bn metric tons of plastic waste is expected to be
deposited in landfills or thrown into the environment, wreaking havoc on natural
life, clogging waterways and drainage systems, and spelling disaster for human
health.
 Around 8m tons end up in the oceans, which contain the vast majority of all life
forms on the planet. The news of whales and other majestic marine life dying due
to their consumption of plastic is becoming more and more frequent. Divers have
found plastic in the deepest points of the ocean.
 A study conducted earlier this year found microplastics in six of the deepest-
known parts of the ocean, including the Mariana Trench. Undoubtedly, this
human-created material finds its way into our diet as well, and this has been
proven in several studies.
 Like much of the rest of the world, Pakistan too suffers too. According to the
Pakistan Plastic Manufacturers Association, approximately 55bn plastic bags are
used each year in the country. In the most recent effort to cut down on the use of
plastic bags, the climate change ministry announced Aug 14 as the cut-off date
for using such bags in the capital city. Failure to comply will result in heavy fines
for the manufacturers, and the ministry has warned that it will be conducting
raids.
 Whether the authority is successful or not remains to be seen. In the past, there
have been several efforts by provincial governments and municipal authorities to
outlaw their use, but law enforcement remains weak. There is also an outcry from
plastic bag manufacturers that employ thousands in factories. While there are no
easy, quick-fix solutions — and even though it may be hard for some to imagine
 a world without plastic — However it is not a necessity, and its long-term damage
to the environment and human health far outweighs its temporary convenience.

12. Clean Green Pakistan Initiative:

 Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Clean Green Pakistan Index, a
project that will, in its initial phase, rank 19 cities in Punjab and KP on their
cleanliness and ‘green’ character. This ranking, the government hopes, will
invoke a competition among cities for improving their infrastructure and
environmental sustainability. The cities are to be judged on different criteria
including sanitation, beautification and the usability of public spaces.

13. Kyoto Protocol:

 The Kyoto Protocol was entered into force in 2005. Currently, there are 192
Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. Kyoto Protocol operationalizes the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change by committing industrialized
countries to limit and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in accordance
with agreed individual targets.
 The Kyoto Protocol is based on the principles and provisions of the Convention
and follows its annex-based structure. It only binds developed countries, and
places a heavier burden on them under the principle of “common but
differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities”, because it recognizes
that they are largely responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions in
the atmosphere.
 During the first commitment period, 37 industrialized countries and the European
Community committed to reduce GHG emissions to an average of five percent
against 1990 levels.
 During the second commitment period, Parties committed to reduce GHG
emissions by at least 18 percent below 1990 levels in the eight-year period from
2013 to 2020.
14. Government’s efforts towards Climate Change:
 In view of Pakistan’s high vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change,
the current government is committed to meet this challenge. Following are the
initiatives taken by the Government:

i. Prime Minister’s Committee on Climate Change:

 The Prime Minister has constituted “Prime Minister’s Committee on Climate
Change” to provide high level strategic guidance and platform for coordinated
efforts on the issues of climate change. Mandate of the committee is to:
i. Monitor implementation of international agreements
ii. Approve and monitor implementation of comprehensive adaptation and
mitigation policies, strategies, plans, programs & projects
iii. Monitor implementation of National Adaptation Plan
iv. Protection and conservation of renewable and non-renewable resources,
species & habitats

ii. Climate Budget Coding and Expenditure Tracking System:

 The government has also introduced climate budget coding and expenditure
tracking system. This initiative has become a solid channel for the climate
change finance mainstreaming and will foster transparency in public investments.
The monitoring of the expenditure will also give confidence to the international
development partners in tracking expenditure under different funding streams to
ensure that the finances are spent on the intended objectives.

iii. Ten Billion Trees Tsunami Program:

 The present government has launched Ten Billion Trees Tsunami Program
(TBTTP), to revive forestry and to improve watershed management and soil
conservation to combat the negative impacts of climate change.

15. Paris Agreement 2015:

 Despite being one of the smallest contributors to global greenhouse gas
emissions, Pakistan remains one of the countries that are most vulnerable to the
impacts of climate change. As a result, the country continues to suffer both
socially and economically. The situation is further exacerbated by the lack of
 financial resources and technical capacity, causing Pakistan to incur human and
economic losses worth billions of dollars due to climate change.
 The international community realised the dynamics where the developed
countries’ emissions were adversely affecting the world. Therefore, in order to
stabilise the emissions, the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, an
international environmental treaty, was established.
 Under it, countries meet twice a year in climate change conferences to advance
the global climate policy and agenda. In the annual meeting of 2015, however, all
the nations agreed to transform their development paths so that the average
global rise in temperature can be limited to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius
above the pre- industrial level. This is now commonly known as the Paris
Agreement.
 One of the major components of the Agreement was the flow of climate finance
from the Global North to the Global South. This was largely based on the idea of
climate justice; since the developing countries continue to experience the
adverse impacts of climate change because of emissions caused by the most
developed parts of the world.
 Another important feature of the Paris Agreement consists of the climate action
plans, which are also called the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), in
which countries highlight their plans and efforts to reduce national greenhouse
gas emissions and adaptation measures to counter the negative impacts of
climate change. However, the least developed and developing countries lack
financial resources, and based on the concept of climate justice, rely on the
developed countries to fund their mitigation and adaptation efforts.
 Given Pakistan’s vulnerability, internal resources are not enough and significant
financial and technical support is required from the developed countries for it to
fully realise its climate action plans Pakistan abided by the Paris Agreement and
the Ministry of Climate Change submitted its first intended NDC (Nationally
Determined Contributions) in 2016, where it committed to reduce the projected
emissions till the year 2030 by 20 per cent, subject to receiving $40 billion from
the international community.
 Pakistan also agreed to enhance its adaptation efforts if it received $7-14 billion a
year. The government has also aligned NDCs with the country’s strategic plan,
the ‘Vision 2025’, and has streamlined it into plans, policies, and sectoral growth
targets, which are set by various ministries and government entities. Moreover,
Pakistan is also revising its NDCs according to higher ambition in terms of
greenhouse gas reductions and will be submitting its revised draft by 2020.
 While Pakistan is making efforts to fight climate change and keeping all its
promises under the Paris Agreement, it is perhaps not being supported as much
by the international community, particularly in terms of climate finance. Before
the Agreement is implemented in 2020, the developed countries had to disburse
$100 billion a year to the developing countries to support their NDCs and climate
actions. Unfortunately, that has not been the case and as a result, many
developing countries, including Pakistan, lack the financial resources to fully
implement their planned climate actions.
 Although Pakistan has started receiving support from the Green Climate Fund
(GCF), it is far less than anticipated. Two projects have been accepted, one for
mitigation and one for adaptation for which collectively GCF has approved $86
million, although the total value of these projects is $621 million. This is perhaps
because the developed countries have not been pitching the required amount
and as a result, less is available for disbursement to the developing countries.
 The government of Pakistan is committed towards addressing the grave issue of
climate change. Despite having financial constraints, it allocates over five per
cent of its annual budget to climate-related expenditures compared to
approximately two per cent for education and less than two per cent for health.
However, given its vulnerability, internal resources are not enough and significant
financial and technical support is required from the developed countries for it to
fully realise its climate action plans.
18. Tourism:
Pakistan as new global tourism player
 In a landmark development, Prime Minister Imran Khan, launched the online visa
regime with the aim to promote tourism and investment. The new e-visa scheme
will facilitate visitors from 175 countries as they would be able to secure Pakistani
visa from their homes without having to visit a Pakistani embassy or consulate.
 This is, indeed, a bold step in the right direction, which, apart from promoting
tourism and investment, might help transform the overall image of Pakistan in the
comity of nations. This is because a message has gone to the outside world that
security situation has drastically improved in Pakistan and the country was safe
for tourists and visitors.
 The very fact that no country of the world has issued travel warnings to its
citizens is also manifestation of the confidence of the world in the improved
security environment in the country. Credit for this surely goes to the armed
forces and the law enforcing agencies as they worked hard and rendered
tremendous sacrifices in addressing the menace of terrorism and extremism.
 There were times when the world media talked about the possibility of extremists
approaching Islamabad but beginning from Swat operation, the armed forces
moved firmly to eliminate the threat from different regions and succeeded in the
unconventional war against terrorism.
 The country is now poised to reap the benefits of measures taken to address the
internal security challenge but still we would have to remain on the vigil to foil
designs of the enemy that is bent upon doing mischief to undermine Pakistan’s
march on the road to progress and prosperity.
 Federal and provincial governments, armed forces and security agencies will
have to increase their coordination to ensure that there is no threat to tourists as
any such incident could spoil prospects for promotion of tourism.
 Similarly, all provincial governments, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan should
undertake an aggressive programme for provision of necessary facilities for
tourists at all places of tourist attraction.
 Presently, even reliable roads, electricity, water and accommodations are non-
existent at a number of spots that are visited by local and foreign tourists. The
Government should also offer incentives to private sector to help develop places
of tourist attractions on modern lines including establishment of international
quality transport companies and quality hotels and motels besides provision of IT
and telecom related facilities that are a must in the present-day world.
 Pakistan tours have increased significantly during the past two or three years, an
assertion that’s backed up by official tourism statistics. In 2015, Pakistan
welcomed 563,000 overseas arrivals. That figure grew to 965,000 in 2016, 1.6m
in 2017 and 1.9m last year. Some of those will be expats of Pakistani heritage
visiting friends and family, but it is suggestive of a destination finally about to live
up to the oft-applied billing of “tourism’s next big thing”.
19. Population:
 Virtually non- existent family planning policies have put Pakistan on an alarming
trajectory. According to a new UN report, World’s Population Prospects 2019, the
global population is set to increase from 7.7bn today to 9.7bn by 2050, with over
half the increase concentrated in only nine countries including Pakistan.
 Taking latest census figures into account, this country of 217m people is now the
fifth most populous in the world, up three notches since 1990. The nation’s
demographic profile, specifically the number of people of reproductive age,
means it will retain that ranking through to the end of the century by which time it
will have an estimated population of 403m.
 Pakistan’s fertility rate is 3.48 births per woman. This needs to be reduced if we
have to progress because with the present rate of population growth we will not
be able to make any worthwhile progress. The rise in population in geometrical
proportions cannot keep pace with the means of subsistence which increase in
arithmetical proportions, if they increase at all.
 In fact, the report notes that even if drastic family planning measures were
instituted to immediately bring down global fertility rates to two births per woman,
the number of deaths would still lag behind, and the world’s population would
continue to trend upward.
 Countries with similar sensibilities, such as Iran and Bangladesh, have been
single-minded in their efforts to bring down their birth rates; the results have been
astonishing, offering a ‘demographic dividend’ of potentially accelerated
economic growth. Even resource-rich Saudi Arabia has been more proactive and
has a fertility rate of one child less than does Pakistan.
 National Health Services highlighted the shocking fact that approximately half of
all married women in the country do not use modern contraceptive methods,
resulting in 3.8m unintended pregnancies each year.
 Now is the time to convince people of the importance of birth control. We are
facing various problems such as water shortage, persisting electricity shortage,
housing shortage, etc. We are not able to provide the increasing number of
 people with jobs, healthy food, and educational facilities. The rapidly rising
population is also leading to social tensions.
 New projections by Unesco indicate that one in four Pakistani children will not be
completing primary school by the deadline of 2030. Unesco says the country will
only be half-way to the target of 12 years of education for all, with 50 per cent of
youths still not completing upper secondary education at the current rates.
 Drop-out rates at the school level in Pakistan is alarmingly high. A large number
of Pakistani children are out of school. Placing emphasis on education is
necessary to achieve a manageable population.
 In terms of land, Pakistan is 0.6% of the world area and home to 2.65% of the
global population. Every 40th person on the planet is a Pakistani. Population has
soared across the globe since the start of the 19th century from 1 billion in 1800
to 7.5 billion in 2018. But while the growth rate globally is 1.2%, it is 1.90% in
Pakistan where on average each family has 3 children. The South Asian country
is tipped to become the 4th largest country in terms of population by 2050.
 With abysmal human development indicators – ranked 150 out of 189 countries
by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 60% of the population
under the age of 30 and a national median age of 22 coupled with fewer
employment opportunities, population explosion presents the most serious
challenge to the stability and security of the country. Despite the gravity of the
situation, this issue has hardly figured in the national discourse.
 Major factors responsible for high population growth in Pakistan are:
o high fertility, o Male child preference,
o low contraceptive prevalence o Poverty,
rate, o Illiteracy,
o high unmet need of family o Patriarchy,
planning, o Religious constraints,
o Declining mortality due to o Beliefs, Customs,
improved healthcare, o Traditions and
o Custom of early marriages, o Lack of recreational activities.
 Add to that the failure of government to plan and implement population control
measures. Pakistan had its first population census after 1998 in 2017 – a gap of
19 years.
 Agriculture is a key contributor to Pakistan’s national GDP. With rising
population, lands that were used for agrarian purposes are now being turned into
villages, towns, suburbs and housing societies. If this trend continues unhindered
for long, the country might face severe food shortage in the years to come.
 There has been a rapid rise in urbanization over the past few decades. People
have moved in millions from rural areas in search of employment which has put
further strain on the existing infrastructure of urban centers. More than 20% of
Pakistan’s population lives in 10 major cities.
 Shrinking forest and farm space to make way for infrastructure development to
facilitate growing population needs will cause environmental degradation through
anthropogenic activity, contributing to global warming. Pakistan is the 7th most
vulnerable country to climate change according to the UN.
 Resources are scarce, and Pakistan has suffered from acute water and energy
crisis since the dawn of the 21st century, which has had an adverse effect on the
business industry. Shortage of electricity and gas has forced many to shut down
and go out of business.
 With limited job opportunities in the market and academic institutions churning
out degrees, a major chunk of the youth may grow restless and turn to crime,
including militancy. Population threat will also affect Pakistan’s ability to meet
United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
 Limited resources and ever growing demand to meet the needs of a bulging
population could trigger further inter-provincial competition and rivalry. Recent
trends show that those countries facing internal security problems currently,
including Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, also experienced high increase in
population leading up to the turmoil.
 Family planning programs were initiated in Pakistan in the 1950s, and have
greatly helped reduce the birth rate from 4.5% in 1947 at the time of
independence to 2.9% in the 1990. The figure has further come down to 1.90%
 now, but still a lot remains to be done as it is much higher than the global rate of
population growth which stands at 1.2%.
 The government requires to develop a comprehensive and cohesive strategy to
deal with the population dilemma involving all federating units, as well as have a
mechanism to review progress. Awareness about the ills associated with
population explosion should be promoted through educational programs,
awareness seminars, celebrity endorsements, and media campaigns.
 Though China’s one-child and two-child policies that prevented 400 million births
might be deemed as harsh, Pakistan can take a leaf out of its Muslim neighbor
Iran’s book on population control measures. The southwest Asian country’s
population grew at over 3% between 1950 and 1980. The government in Tehran
in the 1990s introduced a comprehensive population control strategy, where the
clergy declared that Islam favors families with two children only. Government
launched a nationwide campaign and promoted contraceptives, vasectomies and
sterilization. Men and women were required to take birth control courses before
getting married. Food coupons, paid maternity leaves and other social welfare
subsidies were abolished for the third child. As a result, Iran’s population growth
rate shrank to 0.7% in 2007. It stands at 1.1% now after the government led by
former president Ahmadinejad decided to curb control measures.
 The problem of overpopulation is very serious, and has the potential to cause
chaos and anarchy in the coming years as Pakistan faces depleting national
resources, including water. If not curtailed now, it may go on to haunt the country
in the future. To become a progressive, prosperous and stable state, it is the
need of the hour for Pakistan’s leadership to devise a sound and dynamic
strategy to deal with this peril before it is late.
20. Urbanization:
 Pakistan stands at number six on the world’s growing population index. For the
last two decades, millions of people from rural areas have migrated to cities in
pursuit of decent and dignified life. The intensifying urbanisation peril has made
cities stunted, overcrowded and devoid of basic amenities. They are not planned
properly in sanitation and sewerage, giving way to air, water, noise and plastic
pollution at large. This has also led to challenges of resources distribution and
management.
 As cities grow, slums proliferate that set off a plethora of water, sanitation and
health problems. Thus, industrial waste and sewage contaminate water sources
further leading to high fluoride and arsenic contents, which trigger off epidemics.
Recent studies have revealed that high levels of nitrates and chlorides are found
in water sources of Karachi and in many other urban centres that trigger water-
borne diseases.
 It seems too hard, for the government, even to manage a small town with a
maximum of 0.3 million population. Then, how is it possible to plan and manage
big urban cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Quetta? Karachi’s
population alone has grown by 9.3 million since the 1998 census to 14.9 million
in 2017, while Lahore grew by 75.3 per cent.
 The urban population of other main cities of Pakistan are — Hyderabad’s total
population is 2.2 million out of which 1.83 million live in urban areas; Peshawar
4.3 million of which 2.23 million people reside in urban settlements; and Quetta
2.23 million of which 1.3 million people live in urban areas.
 It is a common notion that economies rarely grow without their cities growing. But
urbanisation has its ‘dark side’ too. According to a UN survey, a vast majority of
policymakers resists urbanisation rather than welcome it. They are of the idea
that the increasing urban tide should be stopped and people may return to rural
areas.
 To control escalating urbanisation, the ruling government needs to boost
Pakistan’s rural economy, bring high efficient irrigation system, reform the
 agriculture sector and manage water scarcity. Besides, in towns and cities, small
industrial units should be promoted to generate additional economic activities.
 At the level of union councils and tehsils, people should have opportunities to
venture into profitable businesses. Entrepreneurship and vocational education
need to be provided and promoted, especially for females. Sharecroppers and
farmers of rural areas need to be linked with markets to sell their produce at
profitable rates.
 In addition, schools for farmers ought to be opened to give information about
contemporary irrigation and agriculture practices and methods. The rural youth
should be engaged in skills-based training such as plumbing, driving, tailoring,
carpentry, masonry, mobile repairing, and motorbike and car repairing.
21. Water Crisis:
 Pakistan is the third most affected country by an acute water shortage, as ranked
in an IMF study. Global warming and climate change have affected the monsoon
season and annual rainfall received. The annual water available has reduced
from 1,500 cubic meters per capita in 2009 to only 1,017 cubic meters. That’s
barely above the minimum requirement of a thousand.
 The alarming consumption pattern adds to the urgency of the problem. With the
fourth highest rate of water consumption and the highest water intensity rate in
the world — i.e. amount of water used in cubic meters per unit of GDP —
Pakistan needs to reconsider aggregate water usage without further delay.
 If the same trend remains, it will reach absolute scarcity levels of water, with a
shortage of 31 million acre feet (MAF), and face a drought by as early as 2025.
That’s just over five years. An agriculture-based economy will face an irreversible
situation of water depletion.
 At risk is Pakistan’s 20% of GDP, 75% of total exports revenue and 42% of total
labour force, which the sector contributes directly. Add issues of sanitation, public
health and industrial water supply, and you get why water shortage is a pressing
challenge that requires immediate rectification.
 In lines with successful global models of water management, multiple ways can
be adopted to tackle the issue. These include conservation, desalination,
recycling, innovation and governance. Considering the current situation, Pakistan
has space to work in all these areas.
 The much politicised debate about construction of new dams is still ongoing, with
some progress on Diamer- Bhasha. The two major dams, Tarbela and Mangla,
have gathered enormous silt deposits since construction and lost enough storage
capacity to be hitting a dead level fast. Of the total 145 MAF that flows annually
through Pakistan, up to only 14 MAF can now be stored by the two reservoirs.
That’s how dangerously low their current capacity is.
 Construction of dams is essential but it is a medium- to long-term policy and
requires strategic, inclusive and bold decisions to be made in national interest.
 However, for immediate results, more has to be done on a short- term policy
front.
 For example, public awareness has to be created about the matter and domestic
level sensitisation be developed. Small, basic steps such as adopting a minimal
approach towards use of water can save gallons per day.
 That’s where Pakistan’s entrepreneurs have a major role to play. Cost-effective,
localised smart solutions need to be made available for use at the domestic level,
and by the industrial and agriculture sectors. For example, domestic solutions
such as smart monitoring adopted by European countries, including the UK, can
keep water usage and leaks in check.
 Technology-based filtration at affordable prices can address water-borne
diseases and contribute towards public health; startups such as Pak Vitae and
Xyla Water are working on scalable models to provide safe drinking water to the
poor.
 About 95% of Pakistan’s total fresh water is utilised for irrigation in the agriculture
sector. Yet, the production scale per acre is lower than that of India and China in
the region. Therefore, innovative entrepreneurial solutions such as smart
irrigation methods, including micro-irrigation that utilises drip technology will not
only increase cultivation but reduce water wastage.
 Taking into consideration the intensity of the challenge and urgency of the
matter, key integral steps have to be taken without delay. Pakistan’s National
Water Policy was approved in 2018 after much deliberation. A bigger question
and concern still remains of its execution and implementation especially with
respect to provincial coordination.
 As the government takes policy measures for an inclusive strategy, the civil
society needs to step up as sensitisation agents and the people need to adopt
basic lifestyle changes. We need to do this for the next generation.
22. Energy Crisis:
 It seems that the warnings about the frailty of our energy supply are mostly true.
And though successive governments have pledged to fix the sector, it is still
where it was three decades ago. Only, a bit worse.
 As before, we still depend considerably on imported fuel, straining our usually
modest forex reserves. The price of fuel is subject to the volatility of supply and
demand as well as of geopolitics. Available energy stock is usually meager,
which may have been a concern during the recent crisis on the eastern border.
 Defying economic logic, while the price of electric power is high, it is still in short
supply. This is because the policy for power generation is flawed. Revenue loss
from weak governance and theft is massive, over 26 percent of all power.
Estimates of financial loss range between Rs150 billion and Rs200 billion.
Resultantly, the system cannot recover costs. The government says that a
dysfunctional power sector pre-empts large budget resources in subsidy. It is
possible that much of it indirectly funds the generous incentives for private power
production. We must correct the fundamental issues that plague power supply.
 A new development that has become more pronounced in the last decade is loss
in transmission of gas. Some estimate the loss to be Rs50 billion a year. In fact,
energy and power theft has shadowed us with bull-headed tenacity.
 The test of a reliable energy supply chain lies in how it services consumers.
Unreliable power supply still constrains industrial growth and exasperates
consumers. Load shedding, high prices and faulty billing are conditions that we
have learned to accept. Despite major increase in LNG import, gas supply is
uncertain and costly. Gas distributors add an estimated 40 percent premium to
the input cost of gas. This is unreasonably high.
 There is much for the government to do to set right decades of accumulated
wrong. Many areas need correction, though why they have not been dealt with by
successive governments is baffling. Estimates of cost to the economy from
energy shortage vary, though 2.5 percent of GDP is the accepted figure. This
equals a whopping Rs875 billion a year. Shortage slows economic activity,
retards competitiveness and hampers growth.
 It doesn’t have to be this way. Pakistan is blessed with large conventional and
renewable resources. Over the years, the country has also built a reasonable
stock of infrastructure for supply of energy and power. Thousands of kilometres
of electric wiring and oil and gas pipelines link many million consumers. Yet,
about 30 percent of the population, or 60 million people, do not have electricity.
More than 50 percent of Pakistanis rely on biomass as cooking fuel. Forests are
subject to slash and burn.
 The reality is that the problem of Pakistan’s energy sector is not about availability
of resources but about weak policies and management. Overall, the government
of Pakistan has been found wanting in its ability to frame and regulate energy
and power policy. Because of generous incentives, the Private Power Policy,
1994 and its later editions have made power costly to produce. Its
implementation has not favoured efficiency or better fuel mix. In fact, by
encouraging imports, it deterred development of energy resources.
 We must embark at once on a comprehensive plan for a viable and sustainable
energy and power sectors. To begin with, it is necessary to establish energy
demand and then determine the desired energy mix, optimising between the
goals of affordability, environment, technical viability, and reliability. It is important
also for the government to implement its energy efficiency plans. Savings from it
could equal 2,250 MW in generation capacity. Above all, the plan must have a
financing model to take care of the large capital need.
 There are several options to indigenize energy supply. In addition to offshore
energy, Pakistan’s shale resources are high. However, there are major financial
and technical challenges in that, especially at the present world energy prices.
Tight gas is a possibility. Its exploration has begun. The government may review
the policy framework for tight gas to fast track realisation of the estimated 35
billion barrels of reserves that exist. Overall, exploration and production of oil and
gas is very low compared to the available sedimentary area.
 We also have large coal deposits in Thar. Yet, environmental concerns and the
unproven clean coal technology is a constraint. Most important, we have realised
only a part of the massive hydro potential. Though initial capital cost is high,
 hydro energy has great potential. In addition, with costs coming down, solar and
wind too are attractive energy sources.
 Moving to electric power, there is much to do here also. Focus on generation has
caused imbalance between power production, transmission and distribution. We
do not have enough capacity to disseminate the power produced. The inability to
recover costs has starved the power supply chain of resources, limiting
investment. Yet, increase in tariff alone is not enough. Higher tariff is an incentive
for more theft. Also, it dampens demand and is unfair on paying consumers. We
must take strict administrative action to plug revenue loss. Also, we must
immediately act to increase the share for hydro, coal and solar to bring down
average cost of power.