7.5 Million in Pakistan Hit by Severe Hunger: UN Urgent Call

Pakistan stares down a humanitarian abyss, with a fresh UN report disclosing that 7.5 million residents endure critical food insecurity and undernourishment. IPC projections are alarming: 1.25 million may hit ‘Emergency’ status by winter 2025-26, facing acute shortages and malnutrition crises. To prevent over a million from ‘Catastrophe,’ swift aid is non-negotiable. Crop and livestock outputs have tanked due to flood scars and parched lands. Households reel from low affordability and volatile pricing. Gallup’s analysis highlights a 20-year shift: families divert funds from food to inflexible expenses like housing. From HIES data, food’s share in budgets fell from 43% in 2005 to 37% in 2025. Moderate-to-severe insecurity now afflicts one in four people. Education fares worse: I-SAP notes private spending at 2.8 trillion rupees of total 5.03 trillion, eclipsing public 2.23 trillion. Public education woes drive this trend, leaving 20 million children sidelined.