problem is not the availability of food, but how to get food to the people, and the current food system, dominated by exploitive middlemen, she added, has failed.
“Let us concede that inequality in Pakistan is determined at the time when a child is born. The child of a poor family faces deprivation and inequality from day one vis-à-vis the child born in a wealthy family,” she said.
Dr Kishwar expressed her view that policies should be formulated as per the available resources. Policies devised to reduce inequality in the United States may not work in Pakistan simply because of lack of resources. “We therefore should not study the policies of affluent country in reducing the impact of inequality in the early years of a child. We should in fact look at the success stories in emerging economies.”
She cited Bangladesh and Brazil as examples at the lower end of economic growth, where inequalities were appreciably reduced because of prudent government policies. She said conditional cash transfers have worked wonders to reduce poverty in many poor countries.
“We still continue with dole outs provided through Benazir Income Support Programme that has not raised the capabilities of the recipient to increase their earnings.”
Economist Faisal Qamar said political compulsions impeded the ability of many economies to grow sustainably. When means are meagre for development, prudence demands to use resources for projects that will yield benefits after 5-10 years; however, he said this will not suit the ruling political elite that have eyes on the next election to be held in three to four years.
He said there is no dearth of good economic planners in the country but the state certainly lacks the implementation capacity. Even the required skilled human resource, he added would not be able to deliver if the systems or the implementing institutions were weak.
He said lack of capacity even applies to capability to draft good contracts, service delivery or government provision. You are kind of hamstrung by that limitation, he added.