As Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif continues efforts to present his nation as on par with India globally, a newly released United Nations report has revealed a dire internal crisis: over 1.1 crore Pakistanis are enduring acute hunger, with many nearing starvation.
Contrary to India, whose position as a faithful food provider during worldwide deficiencies has been solidified, Pakistan is confronted with disturbing extents of food insecurity domestically. The contrast places emphasis on the contrast in the two nations’ reaction to food issues.
Food Shortage in Pakistan
The Global Report on Food Crises 2025, released on May 16 by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), has pointed an accusatory finger towards the dire food crisis in Pakistan. The report particularly mentions places such as Balochistan, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as being hit hardest due to a mixture of poverty, conflict, and natural disasters.
The FAO says that about 1.1 crore individuals in Pakistan are under food insecurity, of which about 17 lakh fall under ’emergency’ levels – the second-to-last step towards famine. That is a 38% increase over last year, a definite sign that the crisis is aggravating.
Malnutrition Reaches Emergency Levels
In the Balochistan and Sindh rural peripheries, where political disturbance and autonomy demands have continued for decades, malnutrition has been a silent killer. The report adds that between 2018 and the early months of 2024, certain districts reported Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates of over 30% — an enormously higher figure than the threshold which indicates a public health emergency.
Even in better times, GAM rates above 10% should be taken very seriously. Despite modest improvement from last year, these provinces remain afflicted by a combination of flood aftermath, poverty, and collapse of public services.
Between March 2023 and January 2024, the FAO documented that more than 21 lakh children in Pakistan suffered from acute malnutrition, compounded by inadequate healthcare access and poor rural infrastructure. Inaccessible roads and ruined facilities, particularly in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have made assistance to the neediest extremely difficult.
Climatic unreliability, exacerbated by persistent climate change, still batters farm output and availability of clean water. This has further made rebound more challenging for susceptible groups.
While Pakistan’s leadership looks to the world for recognition, the comparison with India grows. India sends its grain overseas to help others, while Pakistan may soon require foreign assistance of its own to deal with its own hunger problems, according to the FAO. The report represents a “state failure”, which undermines the government’s hopes for equality with its neighbor.
