Rising poverty and Shah’s Dogma

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that his province’s economy has remained under stress, which could be assessed from the fact that the poverty ratio has been recorded at 43 percent with 75.5 percent in rural areas. The Chief Minister underlined that the government’s strategy is to grow the economy from six to seven percent so that over 600,000 jobs could be created every year to reduce the poverty. According to him, Public Expenditure and Productive Investments were expected to be the major drivers for growth in the province and the country.

Sindh is Pakistan’s second- largest province, densely populated, heavily industrialized, and rich region. The Indus River delta is the world’s 5th largest delta that is famous for its greenery, crop yield, and civilization in the world. Farmers in Rural Sindh grow wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane, Mango, dates, bananas, and other lucrative crops which not only fulfill provincial needs but also generate valuable reserves for the province. Therefore, Sindh is self-sufficient in its agricultural and Industrial needs, even though poverty is growing in the province than it must be surely a matter of concern for the rulers as well as the public.

Historically, PPP’s Shahs have been governing the province for the past one and a half decades. According to Murad Ali Shah, the past three floods and the COVID-19 pandemic was the real reason for the evergrowing poverty in the province that is a half truth. In fact, mismanagment and corruption of the successive governments and flroishing feudalism had pushed a big chunk of the population below the poverty line. The poor farmers in rural Sindh are the victims of suppression of the landlord, and tribal Sardars, and living in miserable conditions. However, if Shah work to end feudalism from his birthland it would be his great work for the poor supporters.