NOTWITHSTANDING the ongoing sit-ins in Islamabad — which have by now settled into something that more closely resembles routine rather than crisis — since the elections in 2008 there is some evidence that, politically, Pakistan has made several crucial gains.

It is noteworthy that an elected government managed to ride out various crises and complete its full term in a country where civilian rule has historically always been cut short. This was followed by the peaceful handover to another elected government.

These past few years have seen several important pieces of legislation and long-awaited constitutional amendments, including the reduction of discretionary presidential powers and the 18th Amendment to the Constitution.

Some might even hold up with triumph evidence of some of the country’s leading politicians and largest political parties having learned, through their years in the wilderness during the Musharraf era, that the politics of constantly undermining one another are detrimental in the long term, and that it is the system that is of paramount importance.

Recognition of the latter, after all, is what led the majority in parliament to stand behind the embattled government as Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri threw down the gauntlet.

But has this growth in political maturity translated into solid gains on the ground for this country’s impoverished and beleaguered citizenry? The short answer is no — or not yet, anyway.

For the average Pakistani, life remains a matter of scaling mountains of challenges. This is the unfortunate reality that was underscored by a UNDP report discussed in Islamabad on Friday — the Human Development Report 2014.

Placing Pakistan at the 146th position amongst the 187 countries ranked, it points out that this country’s human development index has been stagnating over the past five years, meaning there has been extremely slow growth in the building of citizens’ capacity.

This importance source of information regarding Pakistan’s hard realities is confirmed by even a cursory glance at our towns and cities. The task ahead for the state and the government at the helm is therefore clear: as the political system grows stronger, they need to urgently put themselves to work by investing in the people, in measures that will improve the capacities of the workforce and bring about social and economic uplift.

It needs to be recognised that progress is required in tandem, on all fronts; work in isolation will not achieve the desired results.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2014