by Nancy Adossi

Created on: June 27, 2009   Last Updated: June 28, 2009

Suffering in Pakistan

Pakistan, as a whole is filled with poverty and hunger. When the people of Pakistan inherited the nation in 1947, it was not in as good a condition as India. It did inherit the inheritance and benefits the English taught and deposited in India. As a result, it has had many problems in the area of governing its country.

This lack of control has enabled many imbalances in the distribution of food resources. In 2005, it was

reported that "about one in three Pakistanis live below the official poverty line." In 2007, independent analysis places the poverty in Pakistan at 40%, despite the Pakistan governments insistence that it is well below that number. These statistics mirror the current situation in the Swat Valley.

The recent politics in Pakistan have put many people in danger of starvation and unimaginable suffering. These miseries are also tactics used by the Taliban in order to force the people of Pakistan into submission, not only to Taliban rule, but Sharia law as well. This is especially true in the Swat valley region of Pakistan.

Once the Taliban got a hold of it, they have burned many institutions that teach what is contrary to their beliefs. They have also killed many people who were openly moderate or against the institution of Sharia law. Sharia law is a common law system that is based on interpretations of the Koran. It follows the format of the English common law system. This type of institution is often used by the Taliban to justify killing opponents, burning down schools that teach girls, and disabling their opponents.

However, the Taliban governments efforts of recapturing the Swat Valley region has also caused many casualties as well. The war which is fought on either banks of the Swat river means that many who depend on the river source for crops are in danger of dying as well as starving. Many of these civilians are simply stranded either because they could not escape the region before the ensuing fight between Taliban and Pakistan forces because of transportation costs or too many risks.

Therefore, those that are stranded are faced with the daily task of surviving on little supplies since both sides of the confrontation are trying to starve their enemies out by imposing curfews and regulating or in some cases denying introduction of medical and food supplies into the Swat Valley area. According to The Zakat Foundation, as of 2009 three thousand people have died, 1.5 million have been displaced, and 5000 are injured. The only way to alleviate the hunger, poverty and suffering in Pakistan is to have a legitimate government that is capable of establishing policies that benefit its people.

Learn more about this author, Nancy Adossi.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.