{
  "id": 19088594,
  "title": "Why Pakistan’s ruling elite and media focus almost obsessively on foreign policy while domestic crises worsen",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/why-pakistans-ruling-elite-and-media-focus-almost-obsessively-on",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-09T04:07:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn - Pakistan",
    "slug": "dawn-pakistan",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2043240/why-pakistans-ruling-elite-and-media-focus-almost-obsessively-on-foreign-policy-while-domestic-crises-worsen"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pakistan's ruling elite and media focus on foreign policy while domestic crises worsen. The country's leaders and the media devote significant time and attention to external engagements, often overlooking pressing domestic issues. This is understandable to some extent due to regional and international dynamics affecting Pakistan. However, fundamental problems at home—poverty, hunger, lack of education, and health facilities—rarely receive the same level of attention. The ruling elites derive geopolitical rents from foreign engagements, enabling them to avoid solving structural economic problems at home. For authoritarian regimes, international legitimacy gained through foreign trips and photo-ops is valued more than addressing domestic issues. The media coverage on foreign policy and international events is extensive, while domestic problems like poverty, hunger, and inadequate education often receive fleeting and shallow coverage. Despite the government's macroeconomic constraints, there are ways to address poverty without relying on spending cycles. However, the government seems unable to tackle the rising poverty rate, which has increased from 22% in 2018-19 to 29% in 2024-25 according to the World Bank. Pakistan also has one of the highest rates of multidimensional poverty, affecting 38.3% of its population. The country faces acute hunger, with millions affected by economic instability, inflation, and climate shocks. Malnutrition contributes to child stunting, with 40% of Pakistani children under five being stunted—a national scandal considering the country's young population. Education has been neglected, with Pakistan having the second highest number of out-of-school children globally and a literacy rate of 37%. Addressing these domestic issues is crucial for Pakistan's future, yet the government's focus remains almost entirely on foreign affairs.",
  "summary": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2043203",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}