Capacity Analytics appreciates the efforts being undertaken by the Federal and Provincial Governments in general and by the National Command Operation Center (NCOC) in particular to cushion the COVID-19 impacts. However, we feel that the current strategy of the Government is deeply flawed as it is based on philanthropy. And it is not based on the Right to Social Protection and the Right produced by the Work. By appealing to the compassion of the citizens, the State is telling its Citizens that their past labour is worthless in terms of protecting their children in such an emergency.

Pakistan has nominally agreed to put in place a Universal Social Protection by 2030. But, instead of making it as an organizing principle of the public financial management system, the Government has opted for an increment of the existing BISP as the principle tool to advance the Right to Development, neglecting the institutional welfare initiative like the provincial Social Security Institutions. The State Capacity is inextricably linked with the conceptualization of the Responsibilities of the State vis-à-vis its citizens.

Capacity Analytics believes that the most important reason for the erosion of the State Capacity in Pakistan has been due to the dilution of State’s national responsibilities with reference to the Right to Development. We will be engaging with the civil society to pool its energies around ‘Universal Social Protection’ to sensitize the Government of the significance of establishing a Universal Social Protection System in Pakistan as a Right to tackle the immediate crisis brought by COVID-19 and rejuvenate the Social Compact between the State and Citizens of Pakistan.