New Delhi, Oct 8: The World Bank has expressed serious concern over Pakistan’s economy as the country has failed to reduce poverty despite massive loans injected by the IMF.

The current model of growth has failed to ameliorate the conditions of the poor, and the headcount ratio (HCR) has surged to its highest level of 25.3 per cent in the last eight years, which is a 7 per cent increase in HCR since 2023, the World Bank report states.

Instead of concentrating on rural development to reduce poverty, the Pakistan government has been focused more on increasing defence expenditure.

The World Bank report titled “Reclaiming Momentum Towards Prosperity: Pakistan’s Poverty, Equity and Resilience Assessment” released on September 23, mentions that even the country’s aspiring middle class (constituting 42.7 per cent of its population) is “struggling to achieve full economic security”.

Pakistan’s once-promising poverty reduction trajectory has come to a troubling halt, reversing years of hard-fought gains.

After dramatically reducing poverty from 64.3 per cent in 2001 to 21.9 per cent in 2018 — declining by 3 percentage points annually until 2015 before slowing to less than 1 percentage point per year — recent compounding shocks have pushed poverty rates back up to a projected 25.3 per cent by 2023-24, the report states.

The economic model that delivered early wins has reached its limits, with 14 per cent of the population in 2018 remaining vulnerable to falling back into poverty when faced with shocks.

Compounding crises — Covid-19, economic instability, devastating floods, and record-high inflation—have further exposed systemic weaknesses, leaving many in low-productivity activities and unable to cope with these challenges, the report points out.

Bold policy reforms are now essential to address structural imbalances, prevent sliding back into poverty during shocks, and tackle the persistent challenges in remote areas. In this context, this Poverty, Equity, and Resilience Assessment , the first since the early 2000s, looks at how poverty has evolved in Pakistan by combining traditional and non-traditional data, offering detailed analysis and strategic direction on the country’s efforts and challenges to reduce poverty and promote equity.

This comprehensive assessment aims to provide a roadmap for policymakers and stakeholders to address poverty and equity challenges in Pakistan effectively, the report added.

New Delhi, Sep 27: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has embarked on a South American tour, during which he is scheduled to interact with political leaders, university students, and members of the business community across four nations.

The Congress media and publicity department, incharge, Pawan Khera, announced the development on Saturday but refrained from disclosing the names of the countries LoP Gandhi will be visiting.

In a post on X, Khera wrote, “Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Shri Rahul Gandhi, has embarked on a visit to South America. He is scheduled to engage with political leaders, university students, and members of the business community across four countries.”

According to the party, this marks LoP Gandhi’s first overseas visit in September and will deepen democratic, trade, and strategic ties, building on historical India–South America cooperation and Global South solidarity.

During his visit to Brazil and Colombia, LoP Gandhi is expected to interact with university students, hold meetings with presidents and senior leaders across multiple countries, strengthening democratic and strategic ties, the party said.

He is also expected to engage with business leaders to explore opportunities as India seeks to diversify trade and partnerships in the wake of US tariffs, it also said.

Earlier this month, he travelled to Malaysia, although the Congress had not issued an official statement regarding that trip. The visit sparked several questions and also drew criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP took a dig at his foreign trips and BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared a photograph of Gandhi, claiming that he was vacationing in Malaysia.

Taking to X, Malviya posted, “Rahul Gandhi has slipped away yet again — this time on a clandestine vacation in Langkawi, Malaysia. Looks like the heat and dust of Bihar’s politics was too much for the Congress ‘Yuvraj’, who had to rush off for a break. Or is it another one of those secret meetings that no one is supposed to know about?”

New Delhi, Sep 26: Pakistan has historically been considered an ally of the United States – during and after the Cold War – with Islamabad ready to execute at White House bidding, either for a prize or a dressing down.

Geographically, Pakistan occupies a strategic position and diplomatically shares ties with China on the one hand, and the Arab countries on the other. With most governments in Islamabad being financially and morally bankrupt and powerless against their military, the rulers have been ductile and malleable to be coerced into most deals.

Knowing that proximity to China, India, and Afghanistan makes it a key player in South Asian geopolitics, the US is also aware that with growing ties with Saudi Arabia, including the recent mutual defence pact, it can be a reason for its neighbours and partners being wary.

Washington continues to view Pakistan as a strategic partner in regional security, particularly in counterterrorism efforts. Its role in conducting covert operations from Pakistani soil against the then Soviet occupiers in Afghanistan is no secret anymore. All these, and more, which US President Donald Trump considers to be of use to his idea of ‘Make America Great Again’, draw interest to the country. Thus, a new trade agreement was signed, including a 19 per cent tariff on Pakistani imports and US involvement in developing Pakistan’s oil reserves.

Islamabad is looking at further US investments, especially in its mineral sector, which could provide a much-needed economic boost, provide jobs and infrastructure development for the beleaguered nation. Pakistan is thus trying to ignite US interest in the challenging geopolitical areas where even its military has been unable to put down the rebellion.

The US State Department has designated “The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, The Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), and added the Majeed Brigade as an alias to BLA’s previous Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designation” in a statement on August 11.

The restive westernmost province of Balochistan holds a wide reserve of gold, silver, copper, iron, chromite, and lithium across 1,600 mines. The northern regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are said to be sitting on lithium reserves, while the Thar coalfield in Sindh, with 175 billion tons of lignite, further underscores the overall mineral reserve potential.

The US is interested in Pakistan’s rare earth minerals, crypto mining potential, and broader investment opportunities. But revolt by tribes in these areas and without a clear governance policy, the reserves remain mostly untapped. Islamabad anticipates taming the fierce uprising with US help. Thus, apart from interests in geopolitical developments, Pakistan General Asim Munir’s frequent invitations to the White House remain a matter of speculation.

Munir, who had previously been hosted for lunch by Trump a few weeks earlier, accompanied Shehbaz Sharif on the Pakistan Prime Minister’s first official visit to the White House on Friday. While the General’s presence reflected Rawalpindi’s influence over the political masters in Islamabad, there is an assumption that a solution for mining in troubled areas may have also been put on the table.

Meanwhile, reports from Washington hinted at President Trump making his guests wait about 30 minutes before hosting them for talks. That made sure that even a high-level delegation from Pakistan realised that they can not assume themselves too important.