Congratulations! Pakistan finally inched up on HDI rankings. From the 142nd rank in 2006, the country managed to crawl to bag the 141st position in 2007, according to the latest report by United Nations Development Programme. Very soon you would see officials from the previous regime, including those now out of job parliamentarians, bragging about how glorious their era was.
Perhaps it was, perhaps not. This wavering is mainly due to the alarming disparity between the rich and the poor. The same HDI report highlights that 60.3 percent of Pakistan's population stood below the income poverty line of $2 day with 22.6 percent living under $1.25 a day.
So, while the HDI rankings will be flaunted by those from the former regime, the income disparity indicator will be a juicy number for current rulers on the basis of which they can rebuke their predecessors. But, chances are that they will be silenced, when the UNDP will release current year's numbers, in the years to come.
What exactly Pakistan's HDI ranking will be, it's too early to say. But from the looks of it, it will be lower as dearth of funds for developmental projects at home amid renewed focus on health, education and infrastructural development abroad will widen inter-national disparity.
As for income disparity at home, it will likely worsen as well, given the skewed taxation and utilities' rates structure amid rising energy costs, lack of funds for socio-economic development and slacking economic growth. Not surprisingly, the masses would blame either the government, or the developed countries - a significant number of which now form the Friends of Democratic Pakistan. According to a recent survey by Gallup Pakistan, about 70 percent of the population perceives inefficiency of rulers or injustice of developed countries as two major reasons behind poverty. And lo! There is a sign for men who are wise.
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