Poverty is a growing problem in Pakistan, with nearly one-quarter of the population living below the poverty line according to 2006 statistics. Some key causes of poverty in Pakistan include lack of education and job skills, large-scale imports that hurt domestic industries, division of agricultural land that makes plots too small to support families, and lack of social cohesion. Poverty has severe effects, including increased disease, infant mortality, stress, and homelessness. Proposed solutions include ensuring basic rights to shelter, healthcare, education and food, redistributing land, cancelling debt, and reforming international economic institutions.

1. Poverty
in Pakistan
by
Wajahat Ali Ghulam

2. Information
According to (Hunger Feed Index: 2016) Pakistan came 13th
to 11th
number in world: in terms of the people who sleep
without food.
Alarming situation with 8 years of continuous democratic
setup.
Policy makers should pay attention and devise a policy that
ultimately benefit the poor's. And this may result to
minimize the levels of poverty.

3. Information
Poverty is the lack of basic human needs, such as clean
water , nutrition, health care, education, clothing and
shelter, because of the inability to afford them. This is
also referred to as absolute poverty or destitution.
Relative poverty is the condition of having fewer
resources or less income than others within a society or
country, or compared to worldwide averages. Poverty in
Pakistan is a growing concern, as it is a developing
country. Although the middle-class has grown in
Pakistan to 35 million, nearly one-quarter of the
population is classified poor as of October 2006. As of
2008, 17.2% of the total population lives below the
poverty line, which is the lowest figure in the history of
Pakistan.

4. Causes of Poverty
Lack of education:
The literacy rate of Pakistan is very low. Most of people do
not have any concept about the modern earning sources.
Most people are unable to adopt technology for their
business needs, that’s why business do not meet
international standards and results as decrease in revenue
which lead the society to poor financial conditions.

5. Materialism:
In our society social bonding are gradually becomes thinner
and thinner. A race of material object has been started even no
one tried to understand the problems of others. Every one is
gradually changing from human to a bioman which only know
about his needs and have no concept about the limitations of
others. People are not ready to help each other. At last every one
has lose his trust on others which effect our social and
economic system and it is another cause of poverty.
Causes of Poverty

6. Causes of Poverty
Large Scale Import:
The import of Pakistan is greater than export. Big revenue is
consumed in importing good every year, even raw material has
to import for industry. If we decrease import and establish own
supply chains from our country natural resources the people
will have better opportunities to earn.
Division of Agricultural land:
Pakistan is an agricultural country. Most of people are farmers
by profession. One has land which is fulfilling the needs of his
family but he has to divide the land into his children when they
got young. After division the land is not sufficient to support a
family. Now the families of his children are suffering and
spending their lives below poverty line.

7. Moral Culture:
The main reason for poverty is the social dishonesty and irresponsible
behavior of people. Every one is trying to get rich by using unfair means. A
shop keeper is ready to get whole money from the pocket of customer.
People doing jobs are not performing their duties well. In society the man
considered brave or respectful who do not pay taxes or continuously
violate the laws. This irresponsible behavior continuously increases and
produces loss for the country.
Criterion of Poor:
The criterion of poor is that if a person is not earning US $367.00 per is year
considered poor but this was repeated later on the criterion is changed and
now it’s US $ 2.00 per day.
Causes of Poverty

8. Effects of poverty
 Diseases are more widely spread because
poor people cannot afford hygienic foods and
pure drinking water which is much expensive.
 Many infants born into poverty have a low birth
weight, which is associated with many
preventable mental and physical disabilities.
Not only are these poor infants more likely to
be irritable or sickly, they are also more likely to
die before their first birthday.

9. Effects of poverty
Poor families experience much more stress than middle-class families.
Besides financial uncertainty, these families are more likely to be exposed
to series of negative events and “bad luck,” including illness, depression,
eviction, job loss, criminal victimization, and family death.
Homelessness, or extreme poverty, carries with it a particularly strong set
of risks for families, especially children. Homeless children are less likely
to receive proper nutrition and immunization.
They experience more health problems. Homeless women experience
higher rates of low-birth-weight babies, miscarriages, and infant mortality,
probably due to not having access to adequate prenatal care for their
babies. Homeless families experience even greater life stress than other
families, including increased, family relationships, and friendships.

10. People in poverty

11. People in poverty

12. Solutions to poverty
Poverty will never end unless there are real solutions to end it;
solutions based on economic justice and political changes.
1. The full equality between men and women in public as well as
private areas of life, a worldwide minimum wage of $20 per day and
the end of child labor under the age of 16 with the creation of a
subsidy for scholarship.
2. The guarantee of shelter, healthcare, education, food and drinking
water as basic human rights that must be provided free to all.

13. 3. A total redistribution of idle lands to landless farmers and the
imposition of a 50% cap on arable land devoted to products for export
per country, with the creation of a worldwide subsidy for organic
agriculture.
4. An end to private monopoly ownership over natural resources, with a
minimum of 51% local communal ownership in corporations, which
control such resources as well as the termination of intellectual
property rights on pharmaceutical drugs.
Solutions to poverty

14. Solutions to poverty
 5. The cancellation of third world debt with no reciprocal
obligations attached and the payment of compensation
to Third World countries for historical as well as
ecological debt.
6. An obligation of total transparency for any corporation
with more than 100 employees and a 1% tax on all
benefits distributed to shareholders of corporations to
create unemployment funds.

15. Solutions to poverty
 7. The termination of tax havens around the world as well as free flow of
capital in developing countries.
8. An equal voting for developing countries in international
organizations such as IMF, World Bank, WTO, and the termination of
veto right for the permanent members of the UN Security Counsel.
8. A commitment by industrialized countries to decrease carbon
emission by 50% over a ten-year period as well as reducing by 25%
each developed country%u2019s consumption of natural resources.