History of Social Welfare in Pakistan

Religious Perspective

Before examining social welfare in Pakistan, it is essential to understand fundamental religious perspective about the welfare of individuals. In 622, the Holy Book Quran introduced five duties that followers of Islam are expected to fulfil. One of these duties is to generously give prescribed alms, known as Zakat, and to go above and beyond the minimum requirement by giving additional alms.

The Quran lists eight categories of uses to which charitable contributions can be put: aid to the poor, the needy, those who collect the contributions, “those whose hearts must be reconciled,” debtors, wayfarers, the redemption of captives, and “for God’s cause”.

Pre-Independence Era

Traditional Systems

Prior to British colonization, social welfare in Pakistan (which was the region under British control) was primarily shaped by religious and community-based systems. Acts of charity have always been an integral part of Islamic traditions, with practices such as zakat (almsgiving) and waqf (endowments) playing a crucial role in providing support to those in need.

Colonial Period

Under British rule, there was a push to establish formal social services, with a particular emphasis on health, education, and infrastructure. The British played a significant role in establishing legal frameworks and institutions that formed the foundation for contemporary social welfare systems. Nevertheless, the services provided were restricted and mainly catered to the interests of the colonial administration.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Industrial Revolution badly affected the family institution, resulting in the creation of extensive and organized welfare ideas. After the industrial revolution in Europe, with the development of new cities, numerous social problems emerged.

The lack of labourers compelled factory owners to change their behaviours, and then the government introduced new laws to assist labourers and change the system. In the initial stages of these laws, the labourers were forcibly bound to work in workhouses, but due to the unhealthy atmosphere of workhouses, volunteer workers took a stand to rehabilitate workhouse workers.

Among these volunteers, Charles Dickens was the pioneer who picturized the workhouses in Oliver Twist. However, the UK became the first welfare state to introduce social security for the public after the 2nd world War in 1948.

Islamic Zakat and Bait-ul-mal Institute recognized an organized system to help the poor, destitute, and needy people, discourage beggary, and assist the people in making them independent. In the present times, social welfare means organized services that use scientific knowledge and the skill of using human relations for the welfare of society as a whole.

In Pakistan, it is worth mentioning that at the time of Independence, the resource-constrained state had to deal with many socioeconomic problems that were aggravated by the influx of refugees from India. Due to numerous problems after the Independence of Pakistan, Qaid-e-Azam stated, “If we want to make Pakistan prosper, we have to direly focus on the welfare of the public”. It was the beginning of social welfare in Pakistan.

At that time, a few volunteer organizations were working, such as Anjuman Himayat e Islam, Red Cross Society and Boys Scouts. However, it was the responsibility of the government. In 1948, Begum Rana Liaqat Ali Khan established the All Pakistan Women’s Association (APWA) to rehabilitate women and children. APWA established different institutes to provide educational, religious, recreational, and medical facilities.

Initiatives of UN Experts

In 1951, the government of Pakistan sought the assistance of the United Nations to cooperate in establishing adequate policies and programs. In 1952, an expert team of the UN reached Karachi, and with the help of the UN, the first urban development program was started.

This marked the beginning of a new orientation in the field of social welfare in Pakistan. On the policy front, as noted earlier, the UN advisers recommended that the Islamic values of welfare, such as providing assistance to the poor, care of the indigent, the orphan, and the realization of Zakat, which was engrained in the daily lives of the Pakistani people, be translated into the social welfare policy of the country.

The main elements of Pakistan’s first social policy included

A community development program,
A programme to stimulate the development of private welfare agencies,
A programme to stimulate the development of social welfare programmes in the provinces and local authorities,
A new housing policy, and
An expanded programme of labour protection.

These institutions were started, i.e., Welfare & Housing, Ministry of Health and Work, development of officers, provision of institutions, rehabilitation of refugees, employment of labour rehabilitation and Army & Navy welfare section.

Pakistan is the first Asian country to establish community development centres with the cooperation of the UN at Karachi and then Lahore. The main purpose of CD centres was to sort out the local leadership, train them to use local resources, create enthusiasm for self-help and create awareness about solving local problems.

With the success of these centres in urban areas in 1969, rural development centres were established in rural areas. At this time, 214 centres are working in the whole country, whereas in Punjab, there are 133 centres. Moreover, medical social services projects are 110, while community development projects at urban and rural levels are 133.

According to the recommendations of UN experts from 1952 to 1954, three short-term training courses were started in Karachi and one in Dhaka. Workers of the volunteer organizations participated in these courses. Short courses were also started in Lahore after Karachi and Dhaka.

On 2 April 1953, sixty-five (65) trained social workers took an oath with the cooperation of the United Nations Technical Assistance Administration (UNTAA) and GOP in Karachi under Dr A.M. Malik’s health, labour and works minister.

In terms of social welfare administration, experimental urban community development and medical social services projects started in Karachi (1953) and the Village-Aid programme (1953), started in cooperation between the International Cooperation Administration of the United States and the Government of Pakistan, are considered the first social welfare services in Pakistan.

In January 1955, the first UN Adviser on social policy and administration, after an extensive consultation with government officials and prominent social workers, recommended the creation of an independent Ministry of Social Affairs. Similarly, a national conference on social welfare held in Karachi in November 1955 demanded the same.

However, these demands could not materialize. Instead, a Department of Social Welfare was created in the Ministry of Works. The administrative structure of this department was in line with the existing bureaucratic system rather than the unique social work and social welfare needs.

Development of Private Section

Dispensaries, Oja sanatorium, DJ science collage, private schools of free education, poor welfare association for blind and deaf, Anjuman-e-Khawateen Himayat-e-Islam, Young Women Christian Association (YWCA), Young Men Christian Association (YMCA).

In the initial stage, the building department was responsible for providing social welfare. In 1953, the government established a planning board whose purpose was to develop broad planning and strategy for the socioeconomic development of the country.

Later, it was named the Planning Commission. The responsibilities of the social welfare section were: investigation of social problems and social needs, review of the social policies and legislation, and preparation of social welfare program for five-year plans.

According to the first five-year plan, on 2 January 1956, the government established the National Council of Social Welfare. The main objective of the Council was to provide financial assistance to the NGOs and to promote volunteer social welfare. In the same year, 1956, in both provinces (East and West Pakistan), provincial councils were established.

In 1970, in the West Pakistan system, the e unite was abolished, and four councils were established in the four provinces. The main focus of these councils was to promote and assist volunteer work by all means. In 1976, the first social welfare conference was held, and a broad social welfare policy was constructed.

In 1956, a National Council of Social Welfare was established, followed by provincial councils the next year. Initially, the Council was assigned some policy-making and surveillance functions, but eventually, it became a grant-giving agency. As late as 1958, a separate Ministry of Health and Social Welfare was created at the national level.

However, soon after, with the promulgation of the 1962 Constitution, the country was divided into two units, and social welfare became a provincial subject to be administered through two Directorates of Social Welfare.

In 1970, the One Unit was disbanded, and as a result, separate directorates of social welfare were created in all five provinces. A full-fledged Ministry of Social Welfare is only a recent development, established in the 1980s.

In 1958, the government of Pakistan established a central directorate of social welfare for the development of social welfare. For this purpose, homes for destitute and underprivileged women were established.

It was established in Karachi in 1961 by the provincial government in order to give protection to unprotected women and young children. Children up to the age of seven years accompanied by mothers are allowed to stay in these Homes.

Till the 1961 central directorate was working with the cooperation of NGOs for medical social work, the welfare of the children, and urban and rural community development projects, during the financial year of 1962-63, two separate provincial directorates of social welfare were established in East and West Pakistan. Social welfare training institute was established in 1962 in Lahore.

Functions of Provincial Directorate

In 1970, the provincial directorate of social welfare has been assigned the following functions:

To establish and supervise community development projects (both urban and rural), medical social work and school social work units.
Set up socioeconomic centres, daycare centres, model orphanages, etc.
Registration, supervision, counselling and guidance to the voluntary social welfare agencies.
To undertake research and evaluation studies in the field of social services.
To recommend and draft social legislation.
Coordinate all social welfare programs in the province.

It was established in 1972 in Karachi by the Directorate of Social Welfare to provide training facilities to people working in public and voluntary social welfare agencies. In 1979, the provincial directorate of social welfare was established in all four provinces.

In October 1978, The Federation of Business and Professional Women (FBWP) conducted a seminar and demanded a separate ministry and department. In January 1979, this demand was accepted, and the Women’s division was established.

That was upgraded to ministry after the death of Zai ul Haq in 1989. After that, a separate women’s division was established in all the provinces. The following are the responsibilities of the Women’s division;

Administration
Rights for Women
Research, Program planning
Special Women Action Program (SWAP)
Implementation of Programs
Monitoring and Evaluation.

Nowadays, according to women’s division day care centres, vocational schools, community centres, Sanatzar, working women hostels, Professional women training centres, women’s study centres, and free legal aid centres are working.

Orangi Pilot Project

The Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) is a well-known development initiative established by Akhtar Hameed Khan in the Orangi Town area of Karachi, Pakistan, in 1980. This settlement has an incredibly large population, surpassing one million people. The OPP works to enhance the living conditions of the urban poor by implementing community-based participatory development. The Orangi Pilot Project is widely recognized as a pioneering example of participatory development.

Akhtar Hameed Khan’s vision and approach have been a source of inspiration for many other initiatives, emphasizing the significance of community engagement in tackling urban poverty and development challenges. The project’s emphasis on empowering individuals, maximizing resources, and fostering community involvement continues to be a driving force behind sustainable development initiatives around the globe.

Background of OPP

Orangi Town, similar to other informal settlements, faced challenges with insufficient infrastructure, inadequate sanitation, and limited access to essential services. The government’s issues regarding delivering essential services due to financial and logistical limitations led to the creation of the OPP. Its aim was to enable the community to address their own development needs actively.

Salient Features of OPP

Sanitation and Sewerage

One of the remarkable achievements of the OPP is its highly effective low-cost sanitation program. Residents worked together to build sanitation systems, which greatly improved health and hygiene conditions. The project implemented affordable and user-friendly technologies for sewerage systems that could be easily adopted and managed by the community.

Housing

The OPP supported initiatives to make housing more affordable and accessible for residents, allowing them to gradually improve their homes using materials that are easily accessible in their local area. The project offered technical guidance for construction and promoted self-sufficiency.

Microfinance

OPP supported the establishment of savings groups and offered microloans to small entrepreneurs and businesses, aiming to promote economic growth and self-sufficiency. These models focused on affordable finance options and promoting financial literacy.

Education

The project provided support for community-driven education initiatives, with a focus on non-formal education to enhance literacy and vocational skills. Training programs were organized to empower teachers and community members in improving educational quality.

Health

The OPP focused on enhancing health facilities and promoting preventive healthcare measures by conducting awareness campaigns and encouraging community involvement. Emphasis was given to improving maternal and child health in order to decrease infant mortality rates.

Impacts of the Project

Residents were given the opportunity to actively participate in decision-making processes, which helped foster a stronger sense of ownership and responsibility for community development.
The success of the OPP model has been replicated in various urban and rural areas in Pakistan and around the world, serving as a valuable blueprint for community-led development projects.
The project prioritized sustainable practices, ensuring that solutions were environmentally friendly and economically viable in the long term.

Directorate General of Special Education

6th Five Year Plan (1983-1988) in Pakistan

Unavailability of trained social workers existed. The government took steps for the aged, physically disabled and handicapped, community development, correctional services, staff welfare services, medical social work, social security, youth welfare, labour welfare, women welfare, child welfare, public assistance and juvenile delinquency.

In 1985, under the Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education, the Directorate of Special Education was established. For all types of special persons and children, schools and colleges were established along with training centres, recovery centres and treatment services.

Pakistan Baitul-mal

In 1991, the law for Pakistan Baitul-mal was passed, and in 1992, the government of Pakistan separated the department of Baitul-mal. At the federal level, it was named Pakistan Baitul Mal, whereas in all four provinces, it was established with the name of each province. In 1998, it was merged into the Directorate of Social Welfare.

All the deductions of Zakat from the banks, federal and, provincial, local government, grants obtained from international Islamic agencies, donations from donors, and all forms of charity are part of the Baitul mal fund. Its purpose is to assist and support all the vulnerable sections of society in acquiring their life sustenance. With the cooperation of Baitul Mal and Youth for Peace (YFP), sweet homes were established.

On 13 August 2001, the directorate of social welfare was named Social Welfare, Women Development and Baitul Mal. Under its supervision, separate directorates work in all the provinces, the head of which is the Director General. In 2012, the Department of Women’s Development was separated, and now it is named the Directorate of Social Welfare and Baitul Mal.

Institutions under the Directorate

The following institutes are working under the directorate: District Industrial Homes, Sanatzar, Gehwara, Ghuncha (daycare centre), Nigehban, Chaman, Darul Itfal, Kashana, Nasheman, Darul Falah, Darul Amaan, Working women hostel, Afiyat, Darul Sakun, Qasar-e-Behbood, Socioeconomic and Rehabilitation Centre (SERC) for women and juvenile jails, vocational centres, Model drug control centres, Convalescent Home, Model children homes, Gujranwala children homes.

In 1961, an ordinance for the volunteer welfare organizations was passed. Therefore, under this ordinance, social welfare and bait mal were responsible for registering local volunteer organizations and providing them with technical, skillful and financial help.

The first social welfare policy, however poorly founded it was, remained a document buried in official files as, for almost the next twenty years, there was no clear social welfare policy. During the course of four Five Year Plans (1955-77) and the two Annual Plans (1975-77), a variety of social services was established under various public and private agencies (National Council of Social Welfare, 1976).

This arrangement did not go without criticism. Instead, the national Constitution, adopted in 1973, placed social welfare on the ‘Concurrent Legislative List’, meaning that both the federal and provincial governments could legislate in this field. This resulted in a further lack of focus on a national social welfare policy and poor coordination between the centre and the provinces as each was looking to the other to take the initiative.

It was not until 1988 that a full-fledged Ministry of Social Welfare produced a comprehensive policy document, that is, the second social welfare policy in 1988, which guided the social welfare programmes in coming years. This policy had a mixed approach to social welfare as it was based on the concept of an Islamic welfare state and the contemporary concept of social development.

The third (1992) and fourth (1994) social welfare policies were not much different from the second as the purpose and focus of these policies were not clear but, rather, reflected a struggle between traditional remedial services and the contemporary concept of social development with a rhetoric of Pakistan being an Islamic state having a given set of welfare-related values and practices.

With the passage of the 18th constitutional amendment in 2010-11, which devolved considerable power to the provinces, social welfare became a provincial subject. Thus, the era of national social welfare policy ended.

Four out of five provinces inherited a Directorate of Social Welfare, which, traditionally, has been responsible for the administration of social welfare services in the provinces, but has no experience or expertise in policy formulation.

Author

Muhammad Javed Talokar

Ph.D in Social Work
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