A Review of Studies on Poverty in Pakistan: Origin, Evolution, Thematic Content and Future Directions

Almost four decades ago, the late Mr M. L. Qureshi, who took over the reins of the re-incarnated Pakistan Institute of Development Economics in Islamabad, requested the Senior Fellows to help him reinvigorate the research activities of the new Institute, which had been adversely affected by the heavy depletion of its staff since an overwhelming number of those who were working in Karachi had either chosen to opt to go to Dhaka, or had resigned from service or had been taken as POWs after the fall of Dhaka. He asked each Senior Fellow to undertake a research project, either individually or in collaboration of the meager staff available at the Institute. As one of the newly-inducted Senior Fellows, I offered to undertake a study on Mass Poverty in Pakistan, whose preliminary findings were published in PDR [Naseem (1973)].