Jahanzeb Awan

‘We are abandoned both by our families and by the state. Being denied both familial and social protection, we are destined to live a life as lesser humans. In the absence of access to education and skills, we are left with no other option except to beg or work as sex workers in a highly […]

In Pakistani society it is not uncommon that a person is born in a poor household, lives a life in abject poverty and begets another generation of impoverished persons. This vicious cycle often lasts unbearably long. Interestingly, for those who are at the top end of economic divide the cycle of wealth continues with same […]

The World Happiness Report 2018 has reported Pakistan at 75th position in terms of happiness and life satisfaction of citizens. Pakistanis are found happier in comparison with the citizens of all other South Asian nations and China. In 2017 Pakistan was reported at 80th rank, so Pakistani people are not only relatively happier but their […]

A public document in 1954 quoted this stanza to explain expectations from a civil servant. Civil servants provide public goods, promote social justice and perform regulatory functions. For this reason, citizens expect them to act as impartial agents of state rather than as representatives of political parties in power. But in democratic governance, civil servants […]

The World Travel and Tourism Council Report 2017 places Pakistan at 136th position in the world in terms the tourism industry’s contribution to the GDP. In the aftermath of the eighteenth constitutional amendment, in Pakistan tourism has become a provincial subject. This means without promotion of tourism, particularly in the larger province of Punjab, its […]

The shocking rape and murder of seven year old Zainab in Kasur has drawn Pakistan’s attention to the issue of child sexual abuse. Needless to say, this is just one of the many multifarious ailments which afflict our society. However it has still exposed the weakness of clinical or punitive approach of tackling such problems. […]

Like many other developing countries, the problem of inadequacy of welfare measures and core social services in Pakistan frequently baffles policymakers. The imperfect functioning of market and consequent access issues require state to actively perform welfare and developmental role with a benign gaze on the less privileged citizens. But resource constraints often make it a […]

One of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — Goal 10 — focuses reduction of inequality in the developing countries in economic, social and political spheres. Targets primarily include normative prescriptions which include ensuring equality of opportunity and reducing inequality of outcome. Among the SDG-10 targets, the first one aims at reducing income inequality by […]

Gilgit-Baltistan is well known for a fascinating landscape. Tourism and water resources are generally known as main strengths of regional economy. In recent years, the regional economy has witnessed an upward trend due to resurgent tourism sector and increased investment in infrastructure development. However, in the long run, it is the quality of human capital […]