Pakistan’s majority lawmakers may not be comprehensively familiar with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but their observations from the grass roots level are not different than the global assessment of Islamabad’s slippage on the world ranking.
The opposition members are normally known for criticising any government. And the current ruling party is understandably under attack because of double-digit inflation, slower economic growth and resulting pay cuts and layoffs in the industry along with the poor showing on the development and social sector indicators.
Interestingly, however, the ruling party parliamentarians are also critical of the government’s performance in the social sector, even though it has initiated reforms in the health sector and aims to broaden the protection to the vulnerable segments through Ehsaas.
‘If one believes government reports presented in media, everything is going well. Otherwise, everything sucks’
Former Finance Minister Asad Umar also believes that income support programmes like Benazir Income Support Programme and Ehsaas may be a great service to the most vulnerable but expecting the social sector indicators to improve without economic growth is unthinkable.
He has been struggling to help inhabitants of some new housing schemes in the federal capital to secure electricity and gas connections. Recently, he threatened to revive the sit-in tradition of his party outside parliament to mount pressure on civic agencies that are forcing energy sector utilities not to extend electricity and gas connections.
PTI member of the national assembly from Peshawar, Noor Alam Khan, said his party had been unable to launch schemes that improve social sector indicators as committed under the SDGs. He said he was not well-versed with each indicator but some of the most important ones like health, education, clean drinking water and affordable electricity and gas were deteriorating rather than improving.
Another ruling party parliamentarian from Rawalpindi, Shaikh Rashid Shafique, said he was well aware of the SDGs and also knew that Pakistan had slipped a few positions on the world ranking but the government was currently in the process of formulating policies to improve them.
He said he had received some funds from the government recently for small schemes in his constituency to help address shortcomings. He conceded that these funds were not enough but hoped that things would improve once the government gets out of the current difficult economic situation and focuses more on development and social sector spending.
Chaudhry Adnan, a member of the Punjab assembly, said he was unaware of the SDGs but social sector indicators were improving. He said he recently got funds for clean drinking water schemes and some facilities at schools in his areas.