By H H Shah
Coining the term social developments to Pakistan can have eyebrows raised as there has been a negative perception that prevails regarding the social development of the country. Uncommonly, or generally as the term is referred to, may sometimes get difficult to explain, and rather more difficult to apprehend. As the country is still a developing nation, it needs to take a long journey towards social development so as to be counted amongst the developed nations of the world. However, it has been lucky enough to receive the support of the European Union in this particular regard which has enabled a lot of progress to take place in lieu of social developments of all sorts.
Social developments can be understood as a set of norms and functions underpinning the societal working, and can be very wide ranging. From having new and advanced models of social networks to healthcare, from employment opportunities to social inclusion, from encouraged opportunities to enhanced models, from social justice to effective solutions, from ignorance to educated social responses, all form part of the social developments that are expected to come into being.
As with the passage of time societal norms and values evolve, it gets extremely important to cater them as a means of enhancing the social interactions. The prime aim of social developments is to improve the overall wellbeing of the individuals that constitute a society. Despite the fact that the country has been trying hard to improve its societal wellbeing, the adversities and calamities have always struck hard at the core competencies which have led to a huge lag on the positive aspects being entailed. This can be better observed through the political instability of the country and a lack of an integrated approach to tackle the strategic issues that arise on the way. To worsen the case, terrorist activities and genocide are so common that the country despite trying really hard is unable to achieve its intended objectives. In such scenarios, the already established image of the country is the direct courtesy of the European Union.
The European Union has its own stance as regards social development. It has been a very strong proponent of social innovation as a means of attaining a respectable
position in the world. Seeing the weaknesses of Pakistan, and its inability to cope up with the emerging social challenges, European Union has always lent its generous hand to help the nation combat the fearful adversities and make the living advance to an acceptable level.
The areas of the prime concern for the European Union in Pakistan have been the alleviation of poverty, introduction of employment opportunities and developing a common ground for equitable treatment of all. In addition to these areas, the European Union has been concerned with the development of the business sector so as to contribute to the societal wellbeing. Preservation of human rights is a facet which cannot be unassociated with the EU’s efforts to bring a positive social shift in the country. To couple up the efforts of the European Union, much focus has been placed on social innovation so as to enable the country compete other emergent nations of the world.
These areas of social development have been assisted with heavy funding from the European Union countries. Taking things from the direct angle, financial support has been lent from the European Union to the deserving nation Pakistan and it is primarily through this support that the country has been able to combat the so much difficult issues.
The help from the European Union has also enabled the country combat the grave issues of terrorism and extremism. These have been proving to be a major setback and have been making the country too much vulnerable and exposed to danger. The repercussions of these problems have resulted as instability, lack of investor confidence, social lack of trust and a perception of the country as an unsafe one. Through the help of the European Union, Pakistan has been trying hard to counter the prevailing misnomers and attempting to provide a safe and secure environment to its citizens.
It is undeniable that the country suffers from social distress in a variety of ways and has been making efforts to bring social stability; however, the role of the European Union cannot be ignored at all. It is through the help of the EU that the country has been able to achieve a world standing it enjoys today, yet there is a long road it needs to cover. What needs to be realized that it is high time now and energies must be put to good use – to gain synergies and not the disrupted societal functioning which is no less than the malfunctioning.
