KARACHI: For nearly one in four households in Pakistan, putting adequate food on the table has become a daily struggle, said Pasban Democratic Party Chairman Altaf Shakoor here on Sunday. According to Pasban Democratic Party, the recent Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES 2024-25) reveals that moderate-to-severe food insecurity has surged to 24.35 percent of households, up from 15.92 percent in 2018-19—a relative increase of 53 percent in just six years. Severe food insecurity, characterized by skipped meals and reduced portions, has more than doubled, affecting 5.04 percent of households.

Shakoor attributed the crisis to an affordability shock rather than a national food shortage. Families now allocate 36.72 percent of their budgets to food while consuming less. The poorest income quintile experiences a food insecurity rate of 45.9 percent, markedly higher than the 9 percent rate in the highest quintile. The burden of food insecurity is heaviest in Balochistan and Sindh, with 30.3 percent and 29.4 percent respectively, though every province has at least one in five households facing moderate-to-severe food insecurity.

Shakoor highlighted that the broader poverty landscape is equally concerning. A World Bank assessment identifies Pakistan as home to nearly 48 percent of the extreme poor in the MENAAP region. While approximately 23 percent of the population lives below the USD3.00-per-day line, nearly 49.9 percent falls below the USD4.20 lower-middle-income threshold, leaving half the country economically vulnerable.

The multidimensional deprivation paints a similar picture, with 38.3 percent of Pakistanis facing severe deprivations in health, education, and living standards, and an additional 12.9 percent at risk of falling into acute poverty. Headline inflation, recorded at 10.3 percent year-on-year in September 2026, has nearly doubled from the previous year, with transport costs and wholesale inflation significantly contributing to the pressure.

Shakoor emphasized the human cost, noting that over 40 percent of children under five suffer from stunting, 26 million children remain out of school, and 70 million people lack basic sanitation. He called for a shift in fiscal priorities, suggesting inflation-indexed social protection and market regulation to curb hoarding and cartelization.

He proposed broadening the tax base to alleviate the burden on low-income households and recommended a human capital Marshall Plan. Shakoor argued that without sustained investment in education, nutrition, and basic services, cash transfers alone cannot break the cycle of poverty.

Shakoor concluded by urging immediate bipartisan consensus to address the convergence of inflation, stagnant wages, and a food system that places basic nutrition out of reach for a quarter of the population, stating that piecemeal measures are insufficient to reform critical sectors in need of comprehensive change.