Poverty’s long shadow

PAKISTAN’S contribution to rising poverty across the Middle East, North Africa and the Afghanistan-Pakistan region is troubling. According to the World Bank, the country accounts for nearly half of the region’s people living in extreme poverty. Ours is a story of repeated hardship. Millions of Pakistanis have endured the pandemic, deadly floods, soaring inflation, and years of economic uncertainty, often with little opportunity to recover before the next crisis arrives. For a poor household, each setback leaves lasting damage. Families may exhaust their savings, sell livestock, borrow money…