President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), Mian Zahid Hussain has urged the government to take immediate step to arrest malnutrition otherwise it could result in heavy political and economic price.

Expressing deep concern over increasing hunger in the country, he called for legislation ensuring that food security is the basic right of every person in the country so that we don't have a weak and unfit generation.

He said that Pakistan is an agricultural country but hunger has become a problem because of the price of necessary food items. UNICEF has recently said that half of the children are facing hunger which has an impact on their physical and mental development.

He noted that Pakistan is among the seven countries where a large number of children are facing malnutrition, child mortality is rampant while a large number of women die during pregnancy.

He said that hunger can be controlled by provision of economic opportunities, proper distribution of wealth, reduced prices of agricultural items and giving surplus production to the needy. Pakistan ranks 106th among 119 countries on the hunger index while India is three notches up, he said, adding that many countries have conducted studies on the idea of soup kitchens and found it unfeasible to combat hunger in the long run. Langars are a temporary relief for the poor while many avoid going there for food despite the need for reasons like respect and honour. He noted that undernourishment can be challenged with vocational education, provision of jobs, and other economic interventions.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019