Question 14: Give reasons for the slow growth and re-emergence of poverty in Pakistan.
Answer:
The following are the main reasons for the slow growth and re-emergence of poverty in Pakistan:
1. Greater Dependency on Public Sector Enterprises: The main cause behind the slow economic growth in Pakistan is the greater dependence on Public Sector Enterprises. Pakistan relied largely on the policy of protection by assigning central roles to the Public Sector Enterprises. The operational inefficiencies of Public Sector Enterprises along with the misallocation of scarce resources resulted in dormant economic growth rate.
2. Traditional Agricultural Practices: The agricultural practices in Pakistan relied heavily on traditional methods and the vagaries of climatic conditions resulting in low productivity. Consequently, the agricultural sector was not able to flourish to the extent it was thought of.
3. Undeveloped Manufacturing Sector: The major portion of the foreign exchange earnings of Pakistan was in the form of remittances from Pakistani workers in the Middle-east and exports of highly volatile agricultural products. This can be regarded as one of the reasons for the slow economic growth. This is because the inflow of foreign exchange in the form of remittances substituted the need for development of the manufacturing sector to earn foreign exchange by exporting manufactured goods.
4. Increasing Dependence on Foreign Loans: There was an increasing dependence on foreign loans for meeting t foreign exchange requirements. Pakistan faced increasing difficulty in repaying these loans along with the mounting interest obligations in the years of agricultural failure. The increasing burden of huge foreign loans impeded the economic growth prospects of Pakistan.
5. Lack of Political Stability: The lack of political stability demanded huge public expenditure for maintaining law and order in the country. This huge public expenditure acted as a drain on the country's economic resources.
6. Insufficient Foreign Investment: Pakistan also failed to attract sufficient foreign investment due to lack of political stability, low degree of international credibility and lack of well developed infrastructure.
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