The project has addressed the following research and policy questions: What is the human rights situation of the elderly population in Pakistan? What are possible drivers that affect the human rights situation of different subgroups of Pakistani elderly in the future? Which policies and programmes do Pakistan’s government (at both a Federal and Provincial level) and civil society organisations require and what interventions are feasible to address the problems faced by older people in Pakistan?
The project reviews the relative strengths and weaknesses of conceptual frameworks used to analyse the situation of older people in Pakistan, in particular the human-rights approach to assess their quality of life and well-being. The research takes the UN General Assembly’s recommendations from 1991 for the development of the key dimensions of human rights of older persons.
The project makes use of a mixed method of research, by undertaking secondary data analysis, conducting a specialised quantitative survey of older persons (aged 60 or above) and carrying out qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with older persons and key stakeholders of the society involved in the policymaking for older persons.
This report describes the work undertaken in the research project. It provides a review of past literature on the topic and synthesises our thinking on the conceptual framework suitable for this study. It highlights the key findings from our work and proposes policy recommendations needed to respond to the challenges and opportunities of population ageing in Pakistan.