Fighting poverty with a flashlight

Imagine standing in a vast, pitch-black hall with nothing but a small torch. You can only see what’s immediately before you. This, metaphorically, is how Pakistan’s policymakers have long operated – drafting policies with narrow, dimmed vision, oblivious to the scale of human suffering around them. The result: a staggering 44.7 per cent of the country – over 107 million people – now live below the international poverty line of $4.2 per person per day, according to the World Bank. That’s less than Rs1,200 a day. More disturbingly, over 39 million people (16.5 per cent of the population) live in extreme poverty, on less than $3 a day. These may seem like just numbers to some, but these are really lives marked by desperation, hunger and the daily humiliation of unmet needs. And yet, the government believes a monthly income of Rs37,000 is sufficient for a family to survive. That such a figure could be deemed adequate in today’s inflation-ravaged economy is not only absurd but quite immoral. When policymakers arbitrarily assign value to human subsistence without understanding the lived realities of ordinary citizens, they deepen the divide between the ruling elite and the public they claim to serve.

In the real Pakistan, food insecurity has become so widespread that even white-collar workers, once the backbone of the middle class, can now be seen lining up at soup kitchens and charitable spaces. Their quiet dignity is swallowed by the louder pangs of hunger. The elderly are dying from starvation, as tragically seen in Bahawalpur just days ago. Some may call this the realities of economics but it should be seen as the failure of empathy, political will and leadership. Fortunately, civil society has not turned away. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in its recent report ‘From Survival to Dignity: The Case for a Living Wage’, has called on the government to implement a living wage, not merely a minimum wage. The distinction is critical. Even when adjusted, minimum wage often falls far short of meeting basic needs. A living wage, on the other hand, is grounded in the principle that full-time work should guarantee a life of dignity – ensuring food, shelter, healthcare, education and the ability to plan for a better future. The HRCP estimates that a family of six needs at least Rs75,000 a month to achieve this.

With the federal budget around the corner, the time for lip service has long passed. Will the government rise to the challenge or will it again succumb to the pressures of a private sector more concerned with profit margins than human welfare? The lack of enforcement around labour rights has long allowed employers to sidestep responsibility, exploiting legal loopholes to keep wages low and workers vulnerable. Without meaningful reform, any budgetary increase in wages will remain largely cosmetic. Where we really stand is at a crossroads. The economic despair gripping millions is pushing our youth to risk their lives to escape – boarding illegal boats to foreign shores because they see no hope at home, even while knowing the risks such journeys pose. But the fact is that if hunger doesn’t kill them, hopelessness just might. Pakistan does not need another flashlight in the dark. It needs a new power source altogether – a government willing to see its people in full light and legislate for their dignity, not just their survival.