KARACHI, Pakistan — In the bustling metropolis of Karachi, Amjad Awan, an account executive at a private firm, sits down for a modest lunch of lentils and roti at a restaurant that serves free food for those in need in the upscale Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society. This scene, playing out daily across Pakistan, paints a stark picture of a nation grappling with widespread poverty and economic hardship.
Awan’s story is not unique. A steady stream of diners flow through the restaurant in a scene that repeats itself at similar charity food providers across Karachi, each serving as a vital lifeline for the city’s struggling residents. It’s a sobering reality in a country where an estimated 40% of the population of 240 million finds itself mired in stagnant levels of poverty.
“Until last year, I could hardly make both ends meet, but now it has become impossible. So, I eat my lunch here daily,” said Awan, who lives in a rental apartment in Karachi’s Lines Area with his wife and three children.