Pak social indicators worst in Asia

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in a special evaluation on Pakistan's 60th independence anniversary described it as a country with "poor governance, endemic corruption and social indicators that are among the worst in Asia".

In the first evaluation report in 22 years "Learning Curves: What role for ADB in Pakistan?", the bank said "Pakistan has provided a challenging context in which to implement a programme of development assistance", although it was a major client of the bank.

"Wars and cross-border conflicts with its neighbours, strong ethnic and cultural divisions, continued existence of feudal social relations in some parts and a complex structure of government comprising federal, provincial, district, tehsil or taluka and union levels, each with an elected body since 2002 have marked Pakistan's modern history," Dawn quoted the report as saying.

The bank plans to reduce the number of sectors and sub-sectors in which it is involved on the basis of a detailed Country Assistance Programme Evaluation (CAPE).

This restructuring, however, is not because the country did not fare well but for the reason that ADB's public sector loan portfolio was unfocused and its staff overburdened.

The Asian Bank says that three periods of military rules, 10 changes in the leadership of civilian governments during 1988-1999, erratic economic growth, with periods of faster growth neither sustained nor translated into better social outcomes, rising poverty rates throughout the 1990s were important developments in Pakistan over the years.