Some thoughts on Benazir’s Assassination
Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of the East, is dead. The entire nation is engulfed in grief , emptiness and bereavement. The nation’s loss is gargantuan. The country has lost one of its finest daughter who had the charisma and political acumen to lead the nation twice as it Prime Minister. Bhutto’s assassination .
She came under intense criticism for her failures to fufill the aspirations of millions of poor people while being the Prime Minister twice. Her two stints in office were smudged with charges of grand corruption. However after her return to the country from self exile in Oct,2007, she seemed to grasp the challenges ahead : of fighting obscurantism , militancy and also to restore a semblance of democracy in the country . Regretabbly her violent death has dealt a great blow to the prospects of restoration of democracy in near future.
While the nation is mourning her assassination, it is also time to reflect upon the direction in which our nation is moving. The anarchy, chaos and violence, following Bhutto’s murder, does not serve any purpose.
It time for the nation to exhibit unity, fight obscurantist tendencies, and defeat all obstacles in the way of prosper and progressive Pakistan.
The resilient nation has been through difficult and turbulent times before and will also steer out of the present haze which has eclipsed the country.
It is also imperative for President Musharaf to take political leader, across spectrum, into confidence and pave the way for organizing general election at the earliest.
The only way to vanquish militancy is to restore full fledged democracy with the reign of the government in the hands of democratically elected representatives.
Jinnah, Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto fought through out their lives for the cherished democratic values. Let’s their legacies be preserved and upheld.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Pakistan's Progress in Attaining MDGs
Half Way Through Millennium Development Goals
The 2007 Millennium Development Goals Report was launched last month. The Report is a joint venture of Asian Development Bank, UNDP and UNESCAP and sheds light on major MDGs achievements and challenges faced in the Asia Pacific Region.
The countries, across continents, made a pledge in 2000 at the UN forum to lessen poverty, ensure universal access to primary education, promote gender equality, combat HIV/AIDs and other diseases, tackle child and maternal mortality rates, ensuring environmental sustainability and improving water and sanitation facilities.
The year 2007 marks half way through countries efforts to attain MDGs targets. The MDGs 2007 Report, covering Asia and Pacific region, makes interesting reading. The report sends across two main messages vehemently.
First, while considerable progress has been made to achieve MDGs targets, none of the country in the region will be able to attain all of the targets by 2015. The Asia Pacific region, on the whole, is able to reduce extreme poverty and it is on track to bring it down to half by 2015. In addition, there has been considerable progress in ensuring universal access to primary education, retention of children in school upto grade 5 and improving access to water in rural areas; but it is progressing slowly in dealing with underweight children and reducing infant and maternal mortality. In particular, under five mortality and maternal mortality continue to pose huge challenges in countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan while China and India are relatively ahead of other countries in the region in terms of progress towards many MDG indicators.
South East Asia, at the sub regional level, is off track in ensuring primary enrollment, access to urban water and controlling carbon emissions and is moving slow in addressing problem of underweight children, infant mortality and ensuring access to sanitation in rural areas. However the sub-region has achieved considerable success in addressing major development challenges and it is early achiever of 2015 targets for combating poverty, women empowerment and controlling HIV/AIDS and other diseases.
In South Asia (including Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Nepal) the countries are on track in achieving targets for access to primary education, gender parity in education and better access to water in rural and urban areas. However the countries of South Asia, unlike South East Asia, are lagging behind in combating poverty and hunger, empowering women and in ensuring access to better sanitation in rural and urban areas.
The situation in Pacific Islands is extremely unique. As compared with other sub regions, the islands have to travel a long road in attaining most of the MDGs targets. The Islands are regressing in achieving targets pertaining to completion of grade 5, combating HIV prevalence, controlling depletion of forest cover and in ensuring access to water and sanitation facilities. They are moving slowly in addressing infant and maternal mortality and in ensuring primary completion rate.
The Least Developed Countries (LDCs, including Nepal and Bangladesh) are confronted with greatest difficulties in attaining MDGs targets. They are regressing in ensuring primary completion, controlling forest depletion and controlling carbon emissions. The LDCs are also off track in addressing poverty, controlling hunger and attaining gender equality.
It would, therefore, be imperative to assist LDCs and Pacific Islands in surmounting the major inhibitions towards achieving MDGs including better governance, stronger institutional support and better economic growth.
Second, the greatest challenge, to attain all MDGs targets by 2015, is rise in intra country disparities. These disparties are stark between richest and poorest groups, between urban and rural areas and between states and provinces Over the past decade, out of 20 countries in the region, 14 have experienced rise in inequality. The poorest 20 per cent of the households usually live in rural settings; their children are twice as likely to be underweight and under five infant mortality rates far higher, often by over 50 percent as compared to the urban households. The rising inequalities has paved way for division of societies in the region into ‘haves and have nots’. For instance the national income share of the poorest 20% of the population dropped steeply over the years. In South Asia , it fell from 7.2 to 6.7 per cent and in East Asia from 7.1 to 4.5 percent (from 1990-2004). Similarly in Nepal and China , the Gini index (for any population the index takes a value between 0, corresponding to absolute equality to 100 corresponding to one household taking everything) has seen an increase of nine and six points respectively, indicating widening disparity within the country.
It would also be pertinent to examine the position of Pakistan, compared at the regional level, with regard to attaining MDGs (Figure 1). Poverty is low in Pakistan as compared to South Asia countries, in particular, India or Bangladesh. But, Pakistan has been experiencing rise in poverty (percentage of population below the income level of $1 per day); up from 13.5 percent in 1999 to 17 percent in 2002 which should be a matter of grave concern. Although the economy has witnessed moderate growth during the past few years, the increase in poverty has perpetuated rising inequality between provinces and within districts in the country. The wide disparities are reflective of unequal distribution of resources which had led to creation of pockets of poverty and impoverishment in the society.
Among other MDGs indicators, Pakistan is lagging behind Asia Pacific in combating hunger as almost 38% of under five children are underweight. With regard to net primary enrollment ratio (at 69%), it is lagging behind South Asia and the Asia Pacific region..
The gravest issue of concern is dismally high under five mortality in Pakistan. The AP region and other South Asian countries are doing better in combating under five mortality. Regrettably the country is also struggling to contain its maternal mortality. It is lagging behind Asia Pacific region in addressing this problem. Presently maternal mortality ratio is 500 per 100,000 live births which is the 6th highest in the region. Afghanistan leads the list with maternal mortality of 1,900 per 100,000 live births.
Fortunately all is not grim for Pakistan. As the Figure 1 indicates, the country is faring much better than AP region and South Asia in addressing tuberculosis, access to clean water and sanitation in both rural and urban areas.
Figure 1 Pakistan’s progress towards attainment of MDGs
Note: Based on data from The Millennium Development Goals: Progress in Asia and The Pacific 2007. ESCAP/ADB/UNDP. The data pertain to the latest year available.
However, Pakistan has a long way to go with regard to promotion of gender equality and women empowerment. There are wide gender gaps which inhibit efforts to ensure gender parity. The country is off track with regard to ratio of girls’ to boys’ secondary enrolment which stand at 0.7%. It is also lagging behind in another MDG gender indicator: of women’s share of paid non-agricultural employment which is only 10%. Sri Lanka has 40%, India’s 18% and Nepal’s 15%.
Overall, the Asia Pacific region has made considerably progress towards achievement of MDGs . However many challenges remained to be surmounted. The region still hosts 641 million people living on less than $1 per day. Hunger continues to haunt several countries including Pakistan. Across the region around a quarter of a million women die every year due to poor health care. Many countries in the region are struggling to ensure grade 5 completion at primary school level. Gender equality is also a matter of deep concern. For instance women’s share in paid non- agricultural employment continues to be low especially in South Asian countries including Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. With regard to Pakistan’s progress, rising poverty and disparities are to be addressed on urgent basis if MDGs targets are to be achieved by 2015. Additionally high maternal and under five mortality must be contained which have reached an alarming level. Better education and health facilities, with concerted efforts to alleviate poverty and hunger, can guarantee Pakistan’s progress towards achieving MDGs in near future.
The 2007 Millennium Development Goals Report was launched last month. The Report is a joint venture of Asian Development Bank, UNDP and UNESCAP and sheds light on major MDGs achievements and challenges faced in the Asia Pacific Region.
The countries, across continents, made a pledge in 2000 at the UN forum to lessen poverty, ensure universal access to primary education, promote gender equality, combat HIV/AIDs and other diseases, tackle child and maternal mortality rates, ensuring environmental sustainability and improving water and sanitation facilities.
The year 2007 marks half way through countries efforts to attain MDGs targets. The MDGs 2007 Report, covering Asia and Pacific region, makes interesting reading. The report sends across two main messages vehemently.
First, while considerable progress has been made to achieve MDGs targets, none of the country in the region will be able to attain all of the targets by 2015. The Asia Pacific region, on the whole, is able to reduce extreme poverty and it is on track to bring it down to half by 2015. In addition, there has been considerable progress in ensuring universal access to primary education, retention of children in school upto grade 5 and improving access to water in rural areas; but it is progressing slowly in dealing with underweight children and reducing infant and maternal mortality. In particular, under five mortality and maternal mortality continue to pose huge challenges in countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan while China and India are relatively ahead of other countries in the region in terms of progress towards many MDG indicators.
South East Asia, at the sub regional level, is off track in ensuring primary enrollment, access to urban water and controlling carbon emissions and is moving slow in addressing problem of underweight children, infant mortality and ensuring access to sanitation in rural areas. However the sub-region has achieved considerable success in addressing major development challenges and it is early achiever of 2015 targets for combating poverty, women empowerment and controlling HIV/AIDS and other diseases.
In South Asia (including Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Nepal) the countries are on track in achieving targets for access to primary education, gender parity in education and better access to water in rural and urban areas. However the countries of South Asia, unlike South East Asia, are lagging behind in combating poverty and hunger, empowering women and in ensuring access to better sanitation in rural and urban areas.
The situation in Pacific Islands is extremely unique. As compared with other sub regions, the islands have to travel a long road in attaining most of the MDGs targets. The Islands are regressing in achieving targets pertaining to completion of grade 5, combating HIV prevalence, controlling depletion of forest cover and in ensuring access to water and sanitation facilities. They are moving slowly in addressing infant and maternal mortality and in ensuring primary completion rate.
The Least Developed Countries (LDCs, including Nepal and Bangladesh) are confronted with greatest difficulties in attaining MDGs targets. They are regressing in ensuring primary completion, controlling forest depletion and controlling carbon emissions. The LDCs are also off track in addressing poverty, controlling hunger and attaining gender equality.
It would, therefore, be imperative to assist LDCs and Pacific Islands in surmounting the major inhibitions towards achieving MDGs including better governance, stronger institutional support and better economic growth.
Second, the greatest challenge, to attain all MDGs targets by 2015, is rise in intra country disparities. These disparties are stark between richest and poorest groups, between urban and rural areas and between states and provinces Over the past decade, out of 20 countries in the region, 14 have experienced rise in inequality. The poorest 20 per cent of the households usually live in rural settings; their children are twice as likely to be underweight and under five infant mortality rates far higher, often by over 50 percent as compared to the urban households. The rising inequalities has paved way for division of societies in the region into ‘haves and have nots’. For instance the national income share of the poorest 20% of the population dropped steeply over the years. In South Asia , it fell from 7.2 to 6.7 per cent and in East Asia from 7.1 to 4.5 percent (from 1990-2004). Similarly in Nepal and China , the Gini index (for any population the index takes a value between 0, corresponding to absolute equality to 100 corresponding to one household taking everything) has seen an increase of nine and six points respectively, indicating widening disparity within the country.
It would also be pertinent to examine the position of Pakistan, compared at the regional level, with regard to attaining MDGs (Figure 1). Poverty is low in Pakistan as compared to South Asia countries, in particular, India or Bangladesh. But, Pakistan has been experiencing rise in poverty (percentage of population below the income level of $1 per day); up from 13.5 percent in 1999 to 17 percent in 2002 which should be a matter of grave concern. Although the economy has witnessed moderate growth during the past few years, the increase in poverty has perpetuated rising inequality between provinces and within districts in the country. The wide disparities are reflective of unequal distribution of resources which had led to creation of pockets of poverty and impoverishment in the society.
Among other MDGs indicators, Pakistan is lagging behind Asia Pacific in combating hunger as almost 38% of under five children are underweight. With regard to net primary enrollment ratio (at 69%), it is lagging behind South Asia and the Asia Pacific region..
The gravest issue of concern is dismally high under five mortality in Pakistan. The AP region and other South Asian countries are doing better in combating under five mortality. Regrettably the country is also struggling to contain its maternal mortality. It is lagging behind Asia Pacific region in addressing this problem. Presently maternal mortality ratio is 500 per 100,000 live births which is the 6th highest in the region. Afghanistan leads the list with maternal mortality of 1,900 per 100,000 live births.
Fortunately all is not grim for Pakistan. As the Figure 1 indicates, the country is faring much better than AP region and South Asia in addressing tuberculosis, access to clean water and sanitation in both rural and urban areas.
Figure 1 Pakistan’s progress towards attainment of MDGs
Note: Based on data from The Millennium Development Goals: Progress in Asia and The Pacific 2007. ESCAP/ADB/UNDP. The data pertain to the latest year available.
However, Pakistan has a long way to go with regard to promotion of gender equality and women empowerment. There are wide gender gaps which inhibit efforts to ensure gender parity. The country is off track with regard to ratio of girls’ to boys’ secondary enrolment which stand at 0.7%. It is also lagging behind in another MDG gender indicator: of women’s share of paid non-agricultural employment which is only 10%. Sri Lanka has 40%, India’s 18% and Nepal’s 15%.
Overall, the Asia Pacific region has made considerably progress towards achievement of MDGs . However many challenges remained to be surmounted. The region still hosts 641 million people living on less than $1 per day. Hunger continues to haunt several countries including Pakistan. Across the region around a quarter of a million women die every year due to poor health care. Many countries in the region are struggling to ensure grade 5 completion at primary school level. Gender equality is also a matter of deep concern. For instance women’s share in paid non- agricultural employment continues to be low especially in South Asian countries including Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. With regard to Pakistan’s progress, rising poverty and disparities are to be addressed on urgent basis if MDGs targets are to be achieved by 2015. Additionally high maternal and under five mortality must be contained which have reached an alarming level. Better education and health facilities, with concerted efforts to alleviate poverty and hunger, can guarantee Pakistan’s progress towards achieving MDGs in near future.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Containing Militancy in Swat Valley
Containing Militancy in Swat Valley
Kudos to the security forces for containing Maulana Fazlullah militancy in Swat Valley. The security forces blew up his houses in Imam Dehri village. However his seminary was left intact , leaving it to the local people to determine its future role.
The radical cleric has been notorious for disturbing the tranquility of the beautiful Swat valley through his preaching and sermons based on religious extremism, bigotry and hatred. Through his illegal FM radio station, he tried to indoctrinate local people with extreme practices based on distorted interpretation of Islam. He called upon people to stop sending their daughters to school. Through his vitriol against polio vaccine in April, 25,000 children were not denied vaccination.
The militancy got further entrenched due to government’s lax attitude. However with Maulana Fazlullah’s strength having been considerably crippled now, it is about time for the government to deal with rising menace of militancy on urgent basis. Anybody who challenges the writ of state and disturb the lives of ordinary citizens must be strongly dealt with.
Only with the joint efforts of government and informed citizens of Pakistan, the threat of Ghazis of Red moseque and Maulana Fazluallah’s fanaticism can be contained and eliminated .
Kudos to the security forces for containing Maulana Fazlullah militancy in Swat Valley. The security forces blew up his houses in Imam Dehri village. However his seminary was left intact , leaving it to the local people to determine its future role.
The radical cleric has been notorious for disturbing the tranquility of the beautiful Swat valley through his preaching and sermons based on religious extremism, bigotry and hatred. Through his illegal FM radio station, he tried to indoctrinate local people with extreme practices based on distorted interpretation of Islam. He called upon people to stop sending their daughters to school. Through his vitriol against polio vaccine in April, 25,000 children were not denied vaccination.
The militancy got further entrenched due to government’s lax attitude. However with Maulana Fazlullah’s strength having been considerably crippled now, it is about time for the government to deal with rising menace of militancy on urgent basis. Anybody who challenges the writ of state and disturb the lives of ordinary citizens must be strongly dealt with.
Only with the joint efforts of government and informed citizens of Pakistan, the threat of Ghazis of Red moseque and Maulana Fazluallah’s fanaticism can be contained and eliminated .
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