Urban poverty
When I first arrived in Pakistan in 1990, there were 120 million people. The population in urban areas was 33m. When I returned five months ago, there were 70 to…
Poverty and politics trip up urban refugees in India
When Hujjat Islam heard a fire had razed a Rohingya camp in New Delhi, his first reaction was relief: it could have been him and his family, their belongings burned…
Bridging the rural-urban divide
Pakistan’s socio-economic landscape is marred by a glaring rural-urban disparity, perpetuated by extractive policies that favor a privileged few. As highlighted in a recent op-ed and corroborated by the UNDP…
Urban healthcare
OVER 55 per cent of the world population lives in cities. With fast-growing urbanisation, this figure is set to rise to 68pc by 2050. Pakistan is one of the most…
Future tech: promise against poverty
Do you anticipate the technological landscape changing significantly, in ways that are currently unpredictable, by December 2025? Furthermore, do you believe that the issues of poverty, hunger, disease, lack of…
‘Crisis resilient urban futures: The future of Asian and Pacific cities 2023’
Cities have always been dynamic hubs of culture, education, economic growth and opportunity, and most importantly, centres of social interaction attracting residents and visitors alike. It is no surprise then…
Big rise in poverty, unemployment
The current combination of various negative factors is likely to lead to a big exponential jump in the number of unemployed and the poor in the country. There is the…
China won the battle against poverty and is pushing forward rural revitalization
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has been centering its efforts on the…
Urban resilience and electricity provision
Recently, the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) conducted a study to understand the impact of urban resilience on electricity provision in Karachi, Islamabad and Peshawar. Urban resilience is the…
Youth, poverty and mental health
IN Tharparkar recently, a man killed three of his children by throwing them down a well, and then proceeded to take his own life. A report published by the Sindh…
