National progress, security: Pakistan's ranking drop on HDI a serious threat: PML-N

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has termed Pakistan's drop in ranking on Human Development Index (HDI) to 145th position in 2011 compared to 125th last year as serious threat to national progress and security. Ahsan Iqbal, deputy secretary general told reporters that Zardari regime has brought a comprehensive disaster to Pakistan in all areas.
One after another, national institutions and sectors are collapsing, he said, adding that politics of cronyism and corruption has played havoc with the country. He said that as almost 50 percent population of the country is deprived of the basic necessities like education and health, according to latest UNDP report released on Tuesday.
The report revealed that country's 49.4 percent population is living in the cruel clutches of multidimensional poverty and 53.4 percent is witnessing intense deprivation. Some other estimates more than 70 percent population has sunk under poverty line. As a result, more than 25,000 people slip below poverty line daily. Pakistan stood at 125th position among the club of 169 nations and was categorised as medium human development country in last year's report.
This year's report put Pakistan's overall ranking in terms of Human Development Index at 145th position among 187 nations and territories and slipped into low human development category. Out of 187 measured countries there are 46 in the low human development category. Pakistan did not perform well on the life expectancy at birth index.
Life expectancy in Pakistan stands at 65.4 years as against 67.2 years in 2010. Even Bangladesh has better life expectancy than Pakistan (68.9 years). For gender inequality, Pakistan scored 115 among 187 countries. This year, Pakistan ranks 145 among 187 countries and territories. In comparison, India is at 134 and Bangladesh at 146 in the HDI. Norway, Australia and the Netherlands rank the highest, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and Burundi are at the bottom."
Ahsan said that Pakistan 2010 programme started in 1998 aimed at transforming Pakistan into a knowledge economy through investment in human resource development and if it hadn't been abandoned by Musharaf regime, Pakistan would have been high on middle developed countries list.