Pakistan-China conference stresses on learning lessons from Beijing's poverty alleviation measures

Pakistan needs to learn from China's example on how it lifted millions out of poverty, stressed a conference of keynote speakers Tuesday. 

The conference discussed the topic "Poverty Alleviation, Covid-19, and CPEC" and was co-hosted by the Pakistan-China Institute (PCI) and Center for Chinese Legal Studies, Lahore University for Management Sciences (LUMS).

Eminent researchers, students and faculty members were treated to an informative discussion on the Poverty Alleviation Strategy of China, with the audience attempting to understand how Pakistan can learn from and employ China’s best practices.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Sania Nishtar, was the Chief Guest and Keynote speaker.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman Foreign Affairs Committee in the Senate of Pakistan & Founding Chairman, PCI, highlighted the importance for Pakistan in learning from China's example when it comes to battling poverty.

By lifting 800 million people out of poverty, China has made history, he said. Senator Mushahid termed the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) as the "most important diplomatic and developmental initiative" of the 21st Century, with CPEC as its pillar.

The keynote speaker, Dr Nishtar praised CPEC and said that it would help in securing employment for a lot of people. "CPEC is a paradigm of growth and it will provide a lot of opportunities in terms of job creation helping to alleviate poverty as well," she said.

She said that the government of Pakistan has got its own poverty alleviation strategy called “Ehsaas Program” which contains 140 actions and programs. Moreover, she said that the government has planned more action plans to be included in the Ehsaas strategy. The prime minister's aide said that due to the novel coronavirus, food insecurity had increased by 18% throughout Pakistan.

She said a Nationwide Digital Survey was being done to evaluate households and the government was keen to include social protection as a fundamental right in the Constitution, with a whole-of-government approach, involving the Federal and provincial governments.