Development is much more than just economic growth.
Haq, an internationally renowned Pakistani economist, worked with Sen, an economic theorist, to advance a new approach of measuring development that amalgamated human and social improvements with economic growth.
Thus, development of the state is strongly linked with numerous factors other than income growth, such as health, education, nutrition, access to clean drinking water, access to energy, infrastructure and mobility among others.
In fact, economic, social and human development are all contingent upon each other.
Does economic growth cause better social and human outcomes or better social and human indicators translate into economic growth.
This proves that investment in human and social development would lead to economic growth.
On the UNDP’s Human Development Index (HDI), an indicator devised by Haq, which amalgamates standards of living and economic growth, in 2016 Pakistan ranked 147th with a value of 0.55.
The closer the value is to 1, the better the performance of the country.
If Pakistan has to improve its development rankings and ensure better citizenry for all, the policy-makers will have to invest considerably more in these deprived regions.
This is followed by infrastructure (Rs172.1 billion).