MIGRATION AND SMALL TOWNS IN PAKISTAN IIED Workshop, London, 18 – 19 November 2008 Arif Hasan Email: [email protected] PAKISTAN: POLITICAL STRUCTURE •  Federation of four provinces •  Provinces divided into districts •  Districts (103) divided into union councils •  Union council (6,022) population 5,000 to 70,000 •  Larger cities: city districts divided into towns •  Districts, sub-districts, union councils headed by elected nazims (mayors) and naib (deputy) nazims •  33 per cent of all seats reserved for women Pakistan: Population Size, Rural – Urban Ratio and Growth Rate, 1901-1998 Year Population (in ‘000) Proportion Annual Growth Rate Total Rural Urban Rural Urban Total Rural Urban 1901 16,577 14,958 1,619 90.2 9.8 - - - 1911 18,805 17,116 1,689 91.0 9.0 1.27 1.36 0.42 1921 20,243 18,184 2,058 89.8 10.2 0.74 0.61 2.00 1931 22,640 19,871 2,769 87.8 12.2 1.13 0.89 3.01 1941 28,244 24,229 4,015 85.8 14.2 2.24 2.00 3.79 1951 33,740 27,721 6,019 82.2 17.8 1.79 1.36 4.13 1961 42,880 33,240 9,640 77.5 22.5 2.43 1.80 4.84 1971 65,309 48,715 16,594 74.6 25.4 3.67 3.33 4.76 1981 84,253 61,270 23,583 71.7 28.3 3.10 2.58 4.38 1998 130,580 87,544 43,036 68.5 32.5 2.61 2.2 3.5 Source: Prepared from Population Census Reports, Government of Pakistan POVERTY •  Human Development Index (UNDP 2006) : 134 out of 177 countries •  National poverty line : 32.6 per cent •  Poverty incidents has increased post-1992 •  Gender related development rank (UNDP 2006) 105 out of 177 countries •  Gender empowerment measures rank : 66 out of 177 countries •  Impact of structural adjustment, WTO regime and globalisation •  Unequal development GOVERNMENT POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAMMES •  Katchi Abadi Improvement and Regularisation Programme •  Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund •  Khushal Pakistan Fund •  Khushali Bank •  Peoples Housing Programme PAKISTAN – A COUNTRY OF MIGRANTS The development of the Punjab canal colonies: •  British developed perennial irrigation schemes: 1872 – 1929 •  4.5 million hectares brought under cultivation •  Local pastural population rebels and are suppressed •  1.2 million peasants imported from Eastern Punjab •  Repercussions: - Marginalisation of local people - Change in language, food and dress - Differences between “locals” and “settlers” - Loss of forests and pasture lands along all the major river