Introduction

In our daily lives, we often hear terms such as "Economic Crisis" but there are people who can not understand what it really means .These people are the Common Men of our country. We are here to provide them with knowledge on different issues that create economic crisis and different aspects that affect or are affected by the economic crisis. We hope our readers would have a healthy discussion on the serious topics that we will post in the near future.

Economic Policies And Their Efficiencies

The economy of Pakistan is the 27th largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power, and the 48th largest in absolute dollar terms. Pakistan's economy mainly eccompasses textiles, chemicals, food processing, agriculture and other industries. The economic system of production and management of material wealth. Basically, an economically stable country with good management will have a productive economy and vice versa. To understand the Economy, we need to first comprehend what exactly makes up the economy of a nation. Similarly, the productiveness and the management depends on various factors. These factors are the political stability, export trade, foreign relations, population, employment rate, literacy rate and profit and loss ratio.

Keeping all these factors in mind, Pakistan has certain policies to upkeep the economic status of the country. For instance the fiscal policy. A recent evaluation found that there was a growth rate of 7 percent per year for four successive years till 2007. Proper economic policies made economic development look impressive in spite of being a very poor country. It has been seen that economic growth rate of Pakistan was better than average growth rate of world as a result of a stable economic policy in Pakistan.

Manufacturing and financial services sectors have boomed because of latest economic policy of Pakistan. Stronger economic reforms were taken up as parts of economic policy at Pakistan. Foreign exchange position has been improved and there was a growth in currency reserves. GDP growth rates have been steady. However, in present situation, inflationary stress and a low saving rate have retarded growth a little bit.

Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister of Pakistan states that economic indicators of nation are positive. However the inflation rate is not showing any positive signs to the common man even it is to the economy as a whole. Expenses have risen to a very high level in this modern day and time. Most of the population of Pakistan is below the poverty line, and cannot afford this inflation. Listning to politicians stating benefits for the economy of Pakistan will not help these poverty stricken people because all they see is the higher class getting benefits ouf of everything. However, as everything was getting better, the terrorist activities have put the foreing exchange and the stock market at stake. The common man always has to suffer the most. Financial status has been always a problem and is increasing day by day in Pakistan.

Dependance On Primary Sector

There are many factors that add up to an economic crisis. One of these factors is the dependence on the primary sector. Third world countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka are prime examples. Their economies are agricultural based. Even though it might be more feasible for them to continue to operate in this sector, it has many disadvantages which can lead to deterrence in economy’s welfare when facing a period of recession, further degrading the standard of life of the general public.

In current times, the world is under a severe period of recession and has been witness to a rising trend in inflation. In a country like Pakistan, everything is becoming more expensive as time progresses. In the primary sector, harvesting of crops and other raw materials have seen an increase in price. This includes fertilizers and seeds. As the cost of growing crops increases, the common farmer would, as a result, increase the price at which he sells these crops to wholesalers. This would explain why even basic necessities like food and clothing is getting more expensive. Due to the recession in the country, wages of people have not increased. People who do not make a steady income are faced with heavy borrowing in order to fulfill basic needs.

Shifting from the primary sector to the industrial sector requires a lot of progress and economic growth. Due to the recession and rising inflation, the government itself is under a lot of stress. Continued borrowing from developed countries in order to stabilize the economy only increases foreign debt. In order to increase revenue, the government increases taxes further worsening the position of the common man. People living in rural areas can not even afford to educate their children due to the high cost of living. The government lacking money cannot afford to build proper schools or hospitals, which as a result further degrades the living standards of people because of high illiteracy and death rates.

Dependence on the primary sector, in today’s world, does not satisfy the need of a country in terms of revenue and the welfare of the people living in it. Massive borrowing and constant inflation are only one of the few after effects of it.

Terrorism affecting the common man

A car loaded with explosives plunges itself into a donkey cart killing twenty, reports a local newspaper. This incident happened in Pakistan’s North West province known for its strong social ties to the once powerful Taliban across the border. It is the third suicide attack in as many days in this part of Pakistan. The death toll has climbed to an astonishing forty for just these suicide attacks. The forty excludes the countless injured and includes a mayor of a nearby town. It is not the first time N.W.F.P has played home to these bombings; it could be stated as the most heavily bombarded province since Pakistan’s war on terror. A close link to the notorious Taliban and strongholds of terrorism activists in its tribal areas are one of many reasons for the enormous death toll in this specific part of Pakistan.

Pakistan’s self inflicted war could be originated from Sep 2001 when after the fall of the twin towers led to Afghan invasion. Pakistan aiding with allies in the United States led a full front operation against the Taliban leading to a dispersion of Taliban groups throughout Afghanistan as well as on Pakistani soil. Pakistan’s strong links to the United States, the siege of the Lal masjid in 2007 and troubled judicial systems 2008-09 are constituted as the main elements behind Pakistan’s troubled decade.

As of 2 July 2009, Pakistan had suffered 36 suicide bombing incidents since January 2009, killing at least 465 and injuring more than 1120. 59 suicide attacks in 2008 as against 56 in year 2007. At least 852 persons, including 712 civilians and 140 Security Force (SF) personnel, were killed and over 1,867 persons injured by 65 suicide bombers involved in these attacks. 729 persons, including 552 civilians and 177 SF personnel, were killed and 1,677 persons injured by 58 suicide bombers, in 2007. Although, these attacks retaliate huge numbers NWFP had its highest share of casualties with 32 of the 59 suicide attacks in 2008 occurring in the NWFP and in 2007, 27 of the 56 suicide attacks occurred in the NWFP.

Through facts like these how can the common man feel safe? How can the common man feel the security needed for his

survival that is his god given right? If there is no sense of safety, how can the common man work and provide for himself and the so

many dependent in him?

Mismanagement in the Education Sector

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” These deep words were said by Alvin Toffler, who is an American writer and futurist, known for his works discussing the digital revolution, communication revolution, corporate revolution and technological singularity, so without doubt an intellectual man.

Education is the right of every child. To strip a child away from this right is not only wrong but even rather close to genocide to some. If the children of today are not given the proper education they deserve, then in the long run this will be a disadvantage for the country economically. The labor force will not be skilled and will only be able to achieve mediocre success. This will be devastating for the country. And unfortunately for us in Pakistan, this has been going on for many years.

But can this really be stopped? Can all this really change? In the recent few days, the bombing at the girls’ college in Islamabad caused many waves to pass across the nation. Schools, colleges, universities were shut down. Educational institutions look like a security war ground instead of an enlightening place for the students. Bomb threats and insecure environment are taking students attentions away from their studies. How can a student focus on his/her studies if not even certain if he or she is safe! Parents are uncertain whether their children will return or not and female students are terrorized by the thought of even attaining an education!

What is to become of common man in Pakistan? If things keep going like this the end is only inevitable!

Medical Reforms affecting the common man

To provide a state with proper health and medical reforms is one of the primary objectives of any government. But unfortunately when one looks at the conditions of the medical reforms that are available in Pakistan, one is completely shocked.

Our main agenda of bringing NWFP to limelight is that only one fully functional hospital, (Lady Reading) operates in NWFP which deals with all the casualties that originate from all the terrorist attacks. The medical supplies are limited where as the hospital located in the capital of NWFP Peshawar is a time consuming drive from the other affected parts of the province. The government camps and medical aid groups are short on aid for the affected while international aid workers are a local target for the terrorists. Suicide bombings at the UN offices and World aid groups have led them backing out in significant numbers in the deadly province of NWFP. The province faces huge death tolls due to lack of infrastructure and equipment within the hospital and the hospital being understaffed. The other question that remarks is that although the bombs direct affecter’s are large in number the people involved indirectly due to these threats are on a large scale as well. No proper disposal of debris from bombs and shattered debris from blown up buildings has added to the already unhygienic conditions of the country adding to a large scale spread out of diseases including influenza, diarrhea, typhoid and hepatitis B.

Consequently, due to all these reasons we wonder, how can the common man survive? Just consider that a family of six, with only one independent provider for the rest. If he is struck with a medical issue and faces the physiological and psychological effects of his disease and is unable to cope with the stresses of life and on top of all this faces the day by day worsening economic conditions of Pakistan. How will that family manage? Unfortunately for us all, these examples are very abundant in nature.