Hunger is the by-product of acute poverty

“Our world is one of terrible contradictions. Plenty of food, but one billion people go
hungry. Lavish lifestyles for a few, but poverty for too many others. Huge advances in
medicine while mothers die every day in childbirth, and children die every day from
drinking dirty water. Billions spent on weapons to kill people instead of keeping them
safe.” — Ban Ki-moon

The food security situation in Pakistan is precarious and the Pakistani Government has been
taking steps to try to address the issue. In 2018, the country’s first food security policy was
unveiled. The policy aims to alleviate poverty, eradicate hunger and promote sustainable food
production. Those aims would be achieved through close co-operation between federal and
provincial governments, the implementation of new food safety measures and the launch of a
“zero hunger” programme. The intent behind the policy is good, but is likely to experience
difficulties. Ensuring the co-operation between federal and provincial governments is likely to be
a struggle due to a lack of trust between the Federal and provincial governments, especially in
Sindh. At present, little has been done to translate the policy into practical action. The
government has also recently introduced a large anti-poverty initiative, which aims to provide
employment, healthcare and empowerment for women in Pakistan’s poorest communities. This
too, is likely to encounter difficulties. The government has pledged to allocate 80 billion rupees
towards the initiative, which considering Pakistan’s economic situation and the likelihood of
IMF constraints in the near future, puts the success of any anti-poverty measures in serious
doubt.

Until Pakistan is able to spend freely on the poor and on food security, it is likely that the
ongoing pressures on food security will continue to multiply, which will inevitably put pressure
on the most vulnerable members of its society.

Government needs to take this matter seriously and ensure an extra effort to save society from a
continuous food crisis.

It can be concluded that the vision without action is daydream and action without vision is
pastime. The government of Pakistan must deal with this issue on war footing. Unless this basic
need “food” is left unmet, the people cannot divert their energies and loyalties towards the
country. People uncertain of how and where their next meal will come from can never be
patriotic. It is time that the government of Pakistan and its international partners step up activities
that not only strengthen livelihood, assets and activities but also address domestic governance
issue. Without addressing the governance problems issue of socio-economic justice that leads
both to food insecurity as well as militancy cannot be addressed. The international community
should start investing in developing the social and human capital of the chronically food insecure
people of the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), Baluchistan as well as Khaibar
Pakhtunkhwa’s conflict hit people. This would not only directly aid those harmed because of the
ongoing military operation, but go some way towards fostering a more stable environment.

One of our top priorities is also to maintain ongoing nutrition treatment programs. The risks of not
maintaining nutrition treatment can have disastrous consequences, especially for the most vulnerable
populations.