Aging has become a serious social problem in Pakistan due to changes in the economic and family support systems. It brings financial instability, loss of status and feelings of loneliness for elderly people. There is also an unsympathetic attitude in society towards seniors and a lack of opportunities and facilities for them. Several non-profit organizations have emerged to advocate for the welfare of seniors and help address their needs, but they remain limited in scope and regular surveys are still needed to fully understand the situation of the elderly population in Pakistan.

2.  Aging is a Universal phenomenon
occurring in every individual with
the passage of time. In the past ,
aging was not considered a social
problem owing to a well-knit joint
family system operating in
society. The problems arising
economic system has made old
age a serious social problem.

3.  Aging brings in its wake a number of
problems of life. For an elderly person ,
loss of employment means not only
exposure to financial instability but
also reduction in status. Similarly loss
of spouse may lead to loss of home and
prestige once enjoyed as head of a
family. The loss of friends and
diminishing energy create in them a
feeling of loneliness .

4.  Further due to the unsympathetic
attitude of society , many of the Senior
Citizens do not get an opportunity to
utilize their mature talents and thus get
a feeling of frustration , being
unwanted . Their idleness not only
creates emotional problems for
themselves but also for the family .
This problem is more acute in Pakistan
than in any other country because
there are no facilities and supportive
services for them.

5.  With the increased span of life in Pakistan
a person over 60 years of age may be
treated as aged. According to the
population figures of 1981, “the total
population of males and females in the age
group of 60 years and above was around
6.9percent , being 5.82 million of the total
population of 84.25 million. the ratio of
population growth in the age of 60 years
and above has been proportionately
higher during the last two decades ,i.e. 26
percent and may reach to 30 percent by the
year 2002.”

6.  At present the total population in the
age group of 60 years and above is
over 9 million . from these figures
the seriousness of the problem can
be gauged. We should also not lose
sight of the fact the owing to
advances in the field of medicines
and better public health programmes
, the average expectancy of life is
also increasing with the reduction of
infant mortality.

7.  Voluntary efforts in the field of social
services for senior citizens have not been
very encouraging in Pakistan. It was only in
recent past that a small welfare of the section
of retired government servants had shown
some concern for the welfare of the elderly
people. as a result of their efforts a few social
welfare organizations were formed for the
amelioration of their sufferings and also to
establish their right to live with dignity and to
contribute in the development of their
country.
 The act of changing for batter,

8.  The first organization for the welfare of the
aged persons was formed by a group of
working women under the leadership of Mrs.
Fazli .the organization known as “Ladies
Fellowship” undoubtedly created some
awareness about the problem of the older
people holding seminars and forums to
highlight the services needed by them .But
this organization remained confined to ladies
of the Upper class of the society and could
not reach the masses.

9.  The second organization which was
founded in Karachi in 1985 is known as
the “Pakistan Senior Citizens
Association.” It has both males and
females as its members and is working
among the Upper and middle classes to
serve the cause of the elderly. It has
supported the destitute and disabled poor
by providing them with wheelchairs and
other appliances to make their lives
comfortable.

10.  The third organization is the “Pakistan
Association of Gerontology” which plans
to initiate a programme for geriatrics and
a research study to make adequate
assessment to the health status of the
aged. In short these organizations are
making efforts for improving the lot of
elderly population in general and
destitute in indigent aged persons in
particular . The are also cooperating with
public, NGO’s and international agencies
in the advancement of the cause of the
aged in Pakistan.

11.  The fourth organization is the
“Association for the Welfare of
Retired Persons” (AWARP) based
at Islamabad . It was formed in
1989, when a group of government
pensioners laid the nucleus of a
Welfare body, to project their
grievances , mainly in the matter
of fixation of equitable pensions.
 complains

12. Another important NGO which is making its
utmost efforts for well being of the elderly
persons in Pakistan is “Pakistan National
Centre on Ageing” (PNCA) founded in 2001
at Islamabad . It is affiliated with
international centre on Global Ageing.
USA,PNCA conducted survey of six cities of
the Punjab Province in 2002 funded by World
Bank, to know the extent of the problems
faced by the elderly. The findings are also
used to convince the government and other
leading organizations to include the ageing
issue into their developmental plans to
recognize the validity of the problem faced
by the elderly persons in Pakistan.

13.  The ageing surveys conducted so
far in Pakistan have been limited
to small samples primarily
because of resource constraint.
Therefore special surveys
focusing on the concerns of the
elderly are needed on a more
regular basis to assess their
situation in different segments of

14. Popul
ation
Elderl
y
Perc
ent
elderl
y
Year Total Male Female total Male Female Total Male female
1951 33.740 18.147 15.593 1.921 1.030 0.981 5.694 5.676 5.714
1961 42.880 22.960 19.920 2.961 1.676 1.240 6.800 7.300 6.220
1972 56.309 34.833 30.476 4.572 2.628 1.944 7.000 7.544 6.379
1981 84.254 44.234 40.020 5.882 3.398 2.484 6.981 7.682 6.207
1998 132.352 68.874 63.478 7.338 3.990 3.348 5.544 5.794 5.274

15.  With increasing life expectancy and evidence
of declining fertility becoming evident from the
1981-1998 intercensal population growths, the
future growth in the elderly population is
expected to be more conspicuous. Based on
the 1998 census result the projected estimate
population of Pakistan in 2002 was around 143
million, in which there were over 8 million
people who were in the advanced age of 60
years and above. Although the number of male
elderly is still higher than the female elderly,
the gap between the two sexes will become
narrow in the future owing to the increase in
life expectancy of female becoming further
high (from present estimate of (64) in
comparison to that for the male (62).

16.  To sum-up, no doubt , aging brings in its
wake a number of problems for the
elderly people in social , economic ,
physical and occupational spheres of life
but it does not mean that they should be
regarded as heap-scrap or a burden on
society. On the other hand , elderly
persons have maturity of mind and
experience which they want to utilize for
constructive purposes . With little
support and encouragement , not only
their lives can be improved but their
potential can also be utilized for
community and national development.

18. Thank you for your attention
Your
Contributions
are Most
Welcome.