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Pakistan
>> Regional Overview >> Pakistan Overview
Summary Tables
Program Summary
Previous Years' Activities
2001Last updated: 54
Introduction
Pakistan is both a participant and a neighbor in one of the most politically sensitive and economically underdeveloped regions of the world. It is home to approximately 150 million people residing in an area about twice the size of California. Although it has potential, Pakistan's economy remains stagnant. Only a recent Paris Club rescheduling of Pakistan's national debt has maintained national budgetary solvency. Pakistan's challenges at home, in the region, and in the world have been compounded by its testing of nuclear devices in May 1998 and a military coup in October 1999.
In recent years, the U.S. Government has sought a broader agenda with South Asia, primarily to enhance stability in this volatile region. Counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, economic reform, and improvement of human rights (especially those of women and girls) are central themes in the U.S. Government agenda. U.S. foreign policy objectives in Pakistan encompass these themes, encourage responsible resumption of political and economic dialogue between Pakistan and India, and hold the military's new "National Reconstruction Bureau" to its commitment of returning the country to civilian democratic rule within a scheduled timeframe. Importantly, Pakistan is key to the resolution of U.S. Government issues with Afghanistan and the Taliban.
USAID does not have a presence in Pakistan, but makes modest assistance available under U.S. legal provisions that allow assistance to, and through, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for humanitarian purposes. USAID's Pakistan NGO Initiative was launched in September 1994 and is scheduled to end in 2002. This initiative has implemented activities related to economic development, women's and children's health, child labor, and microenterprise development.
In FY 2001, USAID received specific legislative authority to work directly with the Government of Pakistan in education. This authority was in response to the grave state of the public education system and the belief that a poorly educated populace impedes economic development and more readily supports extremist actions. In addition, the Administration supports assistance to underpin the country's return to a democratically elected government by late 2002.
In response to the legislative authority, USAID is developing a planning framework that will focus on democracy and education development activities. The framework seeks to support Pakistan's evolution into a democratic society whose citizens fully participate in its economic and social development. Achieving this long-term goal will be supported by programs that help the Pakistan government become more responsive to citizen needs and strengthen and make more accessible education opportunities to boys and girls in Pakistan.
Development Challenge
Pakistan is in a deep civil and economic crisis. During the past decade, the standard of living has deteriorated, poverty has increased, public institutions have decayed causing inadequate provision of essential services of any quality, and political and legal institutions lack the public's trust due to corruption and cycles of political crisis. Reversing this trend and returning Pakistan to the path toward democratic and economic reform are in the U.S. Government's interest.
Since independence, Pakistan has shifted among various forms of parliamentary, military, and presidential governments in pursuit of political stability. The Pakistani people have often looked to the military to serve as the government of last resort during times of political crisis. This has resulted in alternating cycles of military and civilian rule, a type of praetorian civil-military relationship that has perpetuated the military's involvement in political process and arrested the development of a sustainable democracy. Consequently, the country has experienced considerable difficulty developing stable, cohesive political and civil society organizations.
Civil society in Pakistan is generally weak, and has only recently begun to address macropolitical issues. Nonetheless, there are some potentially promising results that are beginning to emerge from the efforts of coalitions and networks of NGOs and community-based organizations (CBOs) to educate citizens about the meanings of democracy, representation, and the role of voters. This effort is being conducted within the context of the local government (union council) elections that will conclude in August 2001. The networks of NGOs and CBOs have focused on strengthening the content, rather than the form, of the democratic process, and now provide a potential opportunity for the U.S. Government to promote sustainable democracy leading up to the anticipated return to civilian rule.
The World Bank considers Pakistan a low-income country, due to its per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of about $470. Life expectancy is about 62 years. The population, currently about 150 million, is growing at about 2.4%, very close to the GDP growth rate. Relatively few government resources have been devoted to socioeconomic development. Inadequate provision of social services and high population growth contribute to persistent poverty and unequal income distribution.
The education sector, in particular, is in a critical state of disarray. The sector's systemic failure stems from issues of both access and quality. While substantial investments have been made in building schools, access is not uniform and the overall quality of education remains very poor. Teachers are poorly qualified, often hired through political patronage, and receive little in-service training. Indicators for literacy, enrollment, and retention demonstrate the dire need for systemic reform. Nationwide, literacy rates for males and females are approximately 59% and 35%, respectively. The average number of years of schooling for a male is 1.9 years, while that of females is only 0.7 years. Thirty seven percent of boys and 55% of girls never even enter school and, of those who do, 50% drop out within the first five years. Only 29% of children make it to the secondary school level.
Other Donors
The democracy and governance activity-which will operate independently of the Government of Pakistan (GOP)-and the basic education activity are being coordinated with other major donors such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the United Nations Children's Fund, Canada, and the European Union. All donor programs focus on Pakistan's priority needs as defined in its World Bank-supported national Social Action Plan, which encourages NGO and private sector participation in the delivery of social services.
FY 2002 Program
USAID plans to provide assistance to Pakistan in two program areas.
Democracy and Governance. This program will strengthen civil society and promote more competitive, accountable political parties. Assistance will be provided to foster the emergence of new leadership within issue-based civil society organizations, including political parties. Program goals include the creation of new fora to promote discussion and reach consensus on priority development issues, and improved research and analytical capacity on the state of political change in Pakistan. The program will be implemented under legislative authority contained in Section 133 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (P.L. 87-195), which authorizes the President to "establish programs that combat corruption, improve transparency and accountability, and promote other forms of good governance." Assistance under this authorization may be made available "notwithstanding any other provision of law that restricts assistance to foreign countries," except that such assistance may not be provided directly to the GOP.
Basic Education. This program supports the GOP's Education Sector Reform Strategy (2000-2003). USAID will promote improvements in the quality of public education at the early primary level, focusing on clusters of public schools in targeted areas in the Sindh and Baluchistan provinces. The program also will fund operational research to support a policy dialog with GOP provincial and federal education officials to promote the spread of successful educational practices throughout the public school system. The program will be implemented under legislative authority contained in Sec. 597 of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act, 2001 (P.L. 106-429), which provides that "funds appropriated by this Act to carry out the provisions of chapter 1 of part I and chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 may be made available for assistance for basic education programs for Pakistan, notwithstanding any provision of law that restricts assistance to foreign countries."
In addition to the above activities, the Global Bureau implements two polio eradication activities in Pakistan, and the Bureau for Humanitarian Response has an activity to demonstrate educational and medical technologies and practices.
Activity Data Sheets
- 391-001 Pakistan NGO Initiative
- 391-XXX Pakistan Basic Education Program
- 391-YYY Pakistan Democracy and Governance
Country Background Information Resources
CIA Factbook
Library of CongressNational Geographic Country Maps
State Dept. Country Information
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
