Asya Rashid
There are many social issues in Pakistan at the moment on which the Government of Pakistan needs to take initiative. We will discuss some important social issues. First of all, let’s discuss poverty. The poverty situation in Pakistan is alarming. According to a report submitted by the Ministry of Planning to the National Assembly of Pakistan, about 29.7% of Pakistanis live below the poverty line. The main reason for this is capitalism.
The second main issue is the literacy rate. Pakistan’s literacy rate was about 58%, but recently it has improved. It still needs further improvement. The lower literacy rate may be due to class divisions, and the government has not implemented any special policies. Wealthy families enroll their children in private institutes because private schools provide good education, while poor families get their children admitted to government schools. Yes, efforts are being made by the government; education has been made free. Uniforms and books are also free. But still, there is not the same standard of education as in private schools.
The third major social problem is overpopulation. Overpopulation is also becoming a big problem for Pakistan. No special planning campaigns are being run here. According to the 1998 census, the population of Pakistan was about 180 million. According to the 2017 census, the population is 220 million, with the largest population in Punjab, which is about 120 million.
The fourth social problem of Pakistan is unemployment. Unemployment is a serious problem in Pakistan. Pakistan’s unemployment rate is about 4.457%. An estimated 1.5 million young people are unemployed in Pakistan every year. We don’t see any policy from the government regarding this issue. One of the reasons for unemployment is the lack of investment, due to which people are going abroad.
The fifth important social issue is health. Even in the health sector, the basic health facilities that should be available here are not available. According to an estimate, there is 1 doctor for every 1250 people. The condition of government hospitals is critical. Additionally, private hospitals have taken this sacred work as a business, and only the rich people can get their treatment there. The poor people can’t afford such heavy bills. To improve this, the government should build more hospitals, provide more facilities, repair existing government hospitals, and reorganize them.
estructuring this system is a huge responsibility of the government.
The sixth social problem is targeted killing. Target killing is happening on religious, political, and provincial grounds. In Karachi, we see that targeted killings are taking place, and security personnel are being targeted. Targeting religious scholars and leaders is also a serious issue for Pakistan. The government also needs to take initiatives to address this.
The seventh social problem is terrorism. Since terrorism is a global problem, Pakistan has been fighting it since 9/11. Since then, Pakistan has lost about 120 billion US dollars, and more than 70,000 Pakistanis have been martyred in this way. Due to this, foreign investment in Pakistan is declining, and Pakistan’s economy has fallen to dangerous levels. This is a very serious issue for Pakistan.
The eighth social issue is women’s rights. Women don’t have the rights they should have. Sometimes we see women subjected to domestic violence, cases of job harassment, and marriages performed against their will. Initiatives are also needed to improve them.
The ninth social problem is clean drinking water. Clean drinking water is not available. About 86% of Pakistanis do not have access to clean drinking water. If clean drinking water is not available, there can be a lot of health problems.
herefore, the government should ensure the supply of clean drinking water. The tenth social problem is the justice system. Pakistan’s justice system is outdated and needs to be amended.
