On poverty

There are about one billion people living in extreme poverty, and about 767 million people live below the poverty line of $1.90 a day. It is pertinent to mention that about one billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to a Unicef report, about 22,000 children die due to poverty a day. This poverty mostly exists in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Due to poverty, many people do not have any home to live, lack of nutritious food, limited access to healthcare; justice is delayed for them.

More worryingly, these things can lead a person towards terrorism or any other act that can harm a state or a person. As far as Pakistan is concerned, according to a report, nearly 39 percent of Pakistanis live in multidimensional poverty, with the highest rates of poverty in Fata and Balochistan. Pakistan’s MPI showed a strong decline, with national poverty rates falling from 55 percent to 39 percent from 2004 to 2015. However, progress across different regions of Pakistan is uneven. Poverty in urban areas is 9.3 percent as compared to 54.6 percent in rural areas. I request the prime minister of Pakistan and other authorities look into the matter and do the best for the eradication of poverty from the country. If they don’t, our unemployed youth which is struggling already will be forced to turn to unsavoury and dangerous means to earn money.

Abrar Moosa Peshbeen

Jiwani