Human Security in Pakistan

The report on Human Security in Pakistan comes at the right time. Pakistan is perilously close to being unable to honor its external debt repayment obligations. The year 2022 also saw the worst natural disaster in the form of floods, which cost the economy over $30 billion in the form of damage to output and destruction of the capital stock. Consequently, due to the severe stagflation, there has been a quantum jump in unemployment and poverty, leading to a big decline in human security. The report represents the first step at quantification of the level of human security in Pakistan and its trend after 2001-02. It includes 87 indicators on diverse aspects of human security and goes well beyond the Human Development Index. The Human Security Index so derived shows a big fall after 2015-16. The need to sustain the level of human security at this difficult time is proposed to be met by the design and implementation of a comprehensive Charter of the Economy. A financing plan is presented for resource mobilization through progressive tax reforms and strong containment of public expenditure. The fiscal space thus created is used to augment the components of human security, which are currently under the greatest threat. The support of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in the preparation of this report is appreciated. The role as co-author of Ayesha Sheikh and the assistance of Rida Shahid and Muhammad Rizwanullah Khan in the preparation of the report is acknowledged.