Bridging The Gulf: Tackling Inequality In Pakistan – thefridaytimes.com

Every new government that comes into power promises it will reduce the inequalities severely impacting the livelihood of an impoverished polity. Unfortunately, all it does is exacerbate them.

The growing gap between their promises and actions in power creates and reinforces inequalities that lead to unfortunate consequences in Pakistan. Failure to identify and address the root causes ensures this cycle continues.

Firstly, poor-quality public education is one of the leading causes of inequality in Pakistan. Apart from madrassa education (religious education), there are different kinds of education systems available which can be accessed based on the financial status of citizens. People born into privileged and economically stable families get their education from high-quality educational institutions. However, individuals who belong to middle-class families get their education from mainstream private educational institutions that are not significantly different from public educational institutions. Lastly, citizens from economically disadvantaged families get their education from public educational institutions. This disparity in the education system strengthens the roots of societal inequalities, as it already did in Pakistan.

Secondly, the prevalent gender disparity in Pakistan stimulates these inequalities. A patriarchal society not only threatens women’s economic empowerment but also impedes their access to potentially powerful jobs.

Thirdly, the pervasive corruption in leadership has worsened the inequalities among people. Many political leaders and civil servants have found themselves in corruption scandals. Instead of serving the public, they serve their families, relatives and other vested interests.

Fourthly, poor governance in Pakistan has not left any stone unturned in the debilitation of public inequalities. Since Pakistan is already surrounded by economic, political, and social issues, the government cannot properly serve its people. It provides facilities to those who can access ministers and officials; unfortunately, underprivileged citizens lack access.

Fifthly, an absence of the rule of law can be observed from top to bottom across Pakistan. Every citizen has a passion for serving Pakistan in the best way possible. But when someone achieves their desired position, they become tormentors of the rule of law. As a result, you end up with one set of people who violate the law but are not punished for it, but when others violate the same law, they get punished. This creates a sense of political, economic, and social disparity. This disparity in the treatment of different individuals has forced people to live differently. 

The rich enjoy every public as well as private service, which includes high-quality treatment in health centres, quality education, clean water supply, an unpolluted environment, parks, playgrounds, cheap transport facilities, uninterrupted power, and the availability of high-speed internet

There are other forms of inequality as well, major among them economic and the widening gap between the rich and the poor. The financial gap in Pakistan is more depressing today than it was a decade or two ago. According to the World Bank’s data, the Gini coefficient — which measures income inequality on a scale from 0 to 1( where 0 represents perfect equality and 1 represents perfect inequality), has increased in Pakistan. In 1990, Pakistan’s Gini coefficient was 0.32; by 2018, it had increased to 0.345, indicating a rise in income inequality.

Similarly, securing lucrative jobs for financially disadvantaged citizens, especially those who have come through the public education system or are perceived to serve economically impoverished classes, is arduous. On the flip side, students who have gotten quality education from elite institutions are likely to be selected for those jobs. In this way, the status quo will exist under the cover of legal regulations. Let’s look at the results of all the competitive exams held annually across Pakistan. One will be hard-pressed to find someone from a financially weak background topping them.

The disparities in business opportunities between the impoverished and the wealthy are on the rise. The latter has been economically exploiting the former by leveraging their wealth. They purchase products and goods from the market, often after the government has subsidised them. They then hoard these products until a shortage appears in the market and then start selling them at marked-up prices. Given the prevalence of lawlessness in Pakistan, the wealthy hoarders scalp as much money as possible. Conversely, the poor people, who can hardly afford to feed their families, are forced to pay even more for goods the government was supposed to subsidise for them. If somehow they manage to open small businesses, many from the government and local contractors charge such high costs from them which force them to eventually close their businesses.

The differences in the delivery of public services between the elite and the poor in Pakistan are blatantly evident. The former enjoy every public as well as private service, which includes high-quality treatment in health centres, quality education, clean water supply, an unpolluted environment, parks, playgrounds, cheap transport facilities, uninterrupted power, and the availability of high-speed internet. However, the latter find every public and private service burdensome. For instance, the poor do not ask the police for help because, in many cases, the police do not care about victims or perpetrators but about those who can pay them enough. This is the pattern the poor see repeated in almost all services. Since the poor do not have money to line the pockets of public service providers, they have to face the oppression with tolerance and patience. In most cases, they do not utilise public services because they cannot afford the lowest possible expenses in this critical situation.

The causes above create and reinforce inequalities that lead to unfortunate consequences in Pakistan. This is why the newly elected government needs to fulfil the promises they have made in their election campaigns to eradicate inequality.

However, the government cannot deliver equitable services to the public unless it takes certain corrective measures. These corrective measures encompass empowering the local government system, investing in human capital, particularly in rural areas, and improving the quality of public education and health. In addition, it also needs to promote meritocracy, gender equality, and a good governance system that strictly follows the rule of law. These steps will not only address the ramifications of inequalities but also uproot their causes.

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