Category Archives: Development and Poverty

In Pakistan, the Quest for Gender Equality Marches On

Development and Poverty, Human Rights, Women

By Zubeida Mustafa

On April 13, a Pakistani woman won a spot on Time’s list of 100 most influential people in the world in 2023. Sherry Rahman, who is Pakistan’s environment minister, earned this distinction for her concerted and effective climate advocacy. Rahman was a journalist before she entered politics and made a name for herself for her work in parliament supporting women’s causes. This was an occasion to celebrate and Rahman was widely lauded.

Continue reading In Pakistan, the Quest for Gender Equality Marches On →

Women in poverty

Culture and the Arts, Development and Poverty, Economy, Education, Health, Labour, Notable Personalities, Population, Women

By Zubeida Mustafa

AS Pakistan goes through turbulent times on the political and economic fronts, women sink deeper and deeper into poverty. No one seems to care, least of all those leaders who are responsible for the public chaos, the economic uncertainty and insecurity they have created by their casual stance on serious issues.

Continue reading Women in poverty →

Happy children

Children and Youth, Development and Poverty, Education, Women

By Zubeida Mustafa

LAST week, I went to Lyari to attend the Food and Fun Festival. Organised by the Ilm-o-Hunar School, the event left a positive impression on me as the youth appeared to be enjoying themselves.

Dressed in their Sunday best, they exuded confidence. The performance was delightful but creativity had to substitute for professionalism. Did it really matter, though, if the stage props were improvised and a single microphone was passed around, from actor to actor? Or that the actors were all speaking in Urdu, which the audience fully understood?

Continue reading Happy children →

Whither OPP?

Development and Poverty, Economy, Notable Personalities

By Zubeida Mustafa

ORANGI Pilot Project, the internationally acclaimed development model founded by iconic social scientist Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan, is in trouble. Charges of corruption, misappropriation of funds and violations of its by-laws have been levelled against its current management. Some 36 employees, many of them trained by its founder, have been sacked. Most worrisome is the accusation that there is a deliberate attempt to obliterate Dr Sahib’s (as he was reverently called) name as founder and conceptualiser of the OPP. If true, this is no less than a moral crime amounting to the theft of intellectual property.

Continue reading Whither OPP? →