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A Study of Status of Livelihood Assets at

Household Level: Evidence from Saidpur Village,
Islamabad

ARTICLE · DECEMBER 2015

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 Department of Development Studies
Discussion Paper 3

A Study of Status of Livelihood Assets at Household

Level: Evidence from Saidpur Village, Islamabad
Sara Kamal Bajwa

December 2015

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CONTENTS

Abstract....................................................................................................................................................................................3
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………4
Significance of the Study……………………………………………………………………………………….……………4
Literature Review…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA)………………………………………………………………………………5
Livelihood Assets……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……7
Applications and Limitations of the SLA………………………………………………………………………………..…10
Research Questions………………………………………………………………………………………………………....10
Objectives of the Study……………………………………………………………………………………………………..11
Time frame of the Study…………………………………………………………………………………………….………11
Research Methodology…………………………...…………………………………………………………………………11
Questionnaire Design…………………………………………………………………………………………….…………12
Sampling Size and Technique……………………………………………………………………………………...……….12
Limitations of the Study………………………………………………………………………………………...…………..12
Locale Map.............................................................................................................................................................................13
Village Profile………………………………………………………………………………………………………………13
Data Analysis and Key Findings………………………………………………………………………………………..…..18
An Indigenous Model of Development for Saidpur Village……………………………………………………..…………22
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..24
Way Forward / Future Direction of Research……………………………………………………………………………....25
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………………….……….26
Annexure 1…………………………………………………………………………………………………………....…….30
Annexure 2………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….36

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 Abstract

This research is an ethnographic study of a village Saidpur in Islamabad. It seeks to study the standard of living
of the residents of this village, the number and type of assets they own and the level of household poverty in
order to develop an indigenous model of development for this village based on this research. Information is
based primarily on a sample survey of the population. Limited interaction of the researcher with the households
shows that some of these households are barely meeting their daily expenses and surviving. The government
does not play any role to improve the conditions of the people living in this village. Provision of medical and
educational services, supply of gas and clean drinking water are non-existent. Further, there is no significant
improvement in the delivery of public services such as maintenance of public roads and streets, hygiene,
sanitation and solid waste disposal.
Keywords: Livelihood Assets, Poverty Alleviation, Saidpur Village, Sustainable Livelihood Approaches (SLA),
Sustainable Development.

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Introduction
“A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman of the next generation.”
- James Freeman Clarke

Recent debates whether academic or on policy formulation, on how to address rural poverty reflect that
awareness is growing on (a) both how symptom and cause of poverty can be traced to a lack of assets, and (b)
the importance of the livelihood concept in understanding how the rural poor can use a variety of different
resources and activities to sustain and bring an improvement to their well being.

One way to improve understanding about the livelihoods of the poor is through the Sustainable Livelihoods
Approach (SLA). It not only determines the factors affecting livelihoods of the poor but also the relationship
between these factors. SLA approach is often used to assess the contribution made by existing activities to
sustain livelihoods and to plan for new development activities.

Building upon the current emphasis on the importance of the sustainable livelihoods approach, this study
focuses on one particular aspect, the different types of assets used in increasing the productivity and enhancing
poor peoples’ livelihoods, and how to integrate these different types of assets held by the natives of Saidpur
Village to expand their livelihood opportunities.

The challenge is to truly secure livelihoods, as it calls for diversification of ways to generate income for any
household. As in the case of Saidpur Village, while many natives may choose labour migration to make both
ends meet and escape the trap of poverty, there can be various other ways to generate sources of income in
order to make a living depending on the local surroundings. Where people live; whether close to goods or
labour markets, whether in the plains or at high altitudes might influence their choice of a particular “livelihood
strategy”. “Probably it is often necessity rather than choice which shapes these strategies” (Steimann, 2005).

Significance of this study

This study is significant because no research of this sort has been conducted on Saidpur Village before.
Literature on the village is non-existent. Such studies can also be repeated and replicated for other villages to
know the actual status of people living there, the number and type of assets they own and the level of household
poverty and what can be done to enhance their livelihoods and hence, bring about a change in the lives of the
residents through development interventions.

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Literature Review
The Brundtland Commission on Environment and Development introduced the sustainable livelihoods idea. In
1992, the concept was expanded by United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and
advocated for achieving sustainable livelihoods as a broad goal to eradicate poverty.

In 1992, Gordon Conway and Robert Chambers proposed the following composite definition of a sustainable
rural livelihood, which is applied most commonly at the household level:

“A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (stores, resources, claims and access) and activities required
for a means of living: a livelihood is sustainable which can cope with and recover from stress and shocks,
maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets, and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for the next
generation; and which contributes net benefits to other livelihoods at the local and global levels and in the
short and long term” (Krantz, 2001, pp.1).

From the various components that constitute a livelihood, the portfolio of assets is the most complicated one
because it is through it from which people construct their living, and it includes either tangible assets or
resources and intangible assets e.g. claims and access (Krantz, 2001, pp.1).

The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA)

During the 1990s, many organisations and agencies adopted the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) as an
integrative framework to think on issues of development and to address poverty from the perspective of the
poor in particular. Over time, principles have evolved that can be included in the SLA framework and
acceptance has increased that these principles reflect good development practice, but the question still remains;
“has there been reduction in poverty?” Previously, general measures of poverty reduction included increases in
food or income security. A broader definition of poverty reduction however, also captures the following
elements: enhanced choice, power and capability (Neely, Sutherland and Johnson, 2004).

Department for International Development (DFID)1 has used the Sustainable Livelihood Approaches in both
Pakistan and Zambia, to design new programmes. The objective was to promote links with individual sector

1
The Department for International Development (DFID) is a United Kingdom government department responsible for administering
overseas aid. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty".
5
initiatives as well as with broader macro economic and social processes. In northern Zambia, a number of field
visits to assess poverty identified access to health care and food security as major issues of the marginalised
(Farrington et al., 1999, pp. 5).

“The livelihoods approach is a way of thinking about the objectives, scope, and priorities for development. In
essence it is a way of putting people at the centre of development. The framework views people as operating in
a context of vulnerability. Within this context, they have access to certain assets or poverty reducing factors.
These gain their meaning and value through the prevailing social, institutional and organisational environment.
This environment also influences the livelihood strategies – ways of combining and using assets –that are open
to people in pursuit of beneficial livelihood outcomes that meet their own livelihood objectives.” (DFID, 2001).

Good principles of development are reflected by the Sustainable Livelihood Approaches and principles are
especially linked to the following:
a) Asset building (financial, natural, social, human, physical);
b) Livelihoods (comprise of assets, capabilities, and activities necessary for means of living);
c) Reducing exposure to shocks and stresses; and
d) Sustainability enhancement.

Figure 1 below provides an overview to the framework. The arrows within the framework denote a variety of
different types of relationships, all of which are highly dynamic. All the arrows imply a certain level of
influence, though none of the arrows imply direct causality.

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Figure 1: Sustainable Livelihoods Framework

Source: (DFID, 2001)

In the diagram above, there is a close connection between livelihoods and vulnerability. For Sustainable
Livelihoods Analysis, it is important to understand the nature of vulnerability and risk. Livelihoods of rural
people depend on their livelihood assets or resources; these assets are factors that reduce poverty and that gain
value and meaning through a prevailing social, institutional and policy environment. The livelihood strategies
are affected by this environment and people use the livelihood strategies to achieve beneficial livelihood
outcomes. Different (external) factors of vulnerability affect the greater availability of assets (DFID, 2001;
Hobley, 2002). Vulnerability is generated by cultural, social, economical and political processes and it may
result from marginalisation, poverty and exclusion (Barnett, 2001). Vulnerability may affect the welfare of
households, individuals and communities in the face of cultural, social and environmental changes and how
people react to, cope and deal with such negative changes (Moser, 1998; Obrist, 2000). “While change is
usually negative, it can also provide positive opportunities” (Adato and Meinzen-Dick, 2002).

Livelihood Assets
People are predominantly at the centre of the livelihoods approach. So it is essential to have a precise and
pragmatic understanding and knowledge of people’s strengths (“assets” or “capital”) to analyse how conversion
of people’s assets into positive livelihood outcomes can be generated (Bebbington, 1999). In order for people to
achieve their self-defined goals, they require a range of assets, whereas the desired outcomes cannot be
7
achieved with a single capital endowment alone. Due to the local context, the importance of the single
categories vary, so the asset pentagon of the Sustainable Livelihood Framework offers a method to think about
these local settings and to reveal active changes over time through frequently shifting shapes of the asset
pentagon.

There is great importance of assets for empirical research in order to determine if those people who were able to
come out of poverty, started off with any particular combination of capitals or assets and if such a combination
would be transferable to other livelihood settings. Also, it would be interesting to evaluate the potential if
different capitals could be substituted (for example, a replacement of a lack of financial capital, as in the case of
poor, through a better stock of social capital).

Human Capital
In the context of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), human capital is defined as follows:
"Human capital represents the skills, knowledge, ability to labour and good health that together enable people
to pursue different livelihood strategies and achieve their livelihood objectives" (DFID, 1999, pp. 7).

At the household level, human capital varies according to the household size, skill levels, leadership potential,
health status, etc. If there are any changes in human capital, they have to be seen not only in isolation but in
support for the other assets as well. It becomes difficult to exactly measure human capital (for example, how to
assess indigenous knowledge?) Sometimes it may be more suitable to investigate variations and their reasons
(Kollmair and Juli, 2002).

Social Capital
Social capital means the social resources through which people get to seek their livelihood outcomes, for
example, networking and connectedness that increases people’s trust and ability to cooperate. It also includes
any form of association of more formal groups and their systems of rules, norms and sanctions.

Most of the times access to social capital and the amount of social capital is determined through the following
factors; birth, age, gender or caste and this even differs within households. Social capital can also cause effects
that restrict development. For example, if the membership of a group excludes other stakeholders; or the social
association to a certain caste depends on the person’s hierarchal position within a society, it may be positive or
negative. “Still it impacts other capitals directly through improving the economic relations or by reducing the

8
'free rider' problems associated to public goods through the mutual trust and obligations it poses onto the
community. For the marginalised segment of the society, social capital mitigates the effects of shocks in other
capitals through informal network.” (Kollmair and Juli, 2002, pp. 6).

Natural Capital
Natural resources such as water, land, forests, degree of biodiversity, air quality, erosion protection, and rate of
change, etc. constitute natural capital. They are useful for livelihoods and are of special importance for poor
people who depend on natural resource based activities to derive all or part of their livelihoods. Good health
also depends on clean air and water quality. Within the SLF, a very close relationship exists between natural
capital and the vulnerability context. Natural calamities such as earthquakes, fires, floods, etc., destroy natural
capital and are a devastating shock to the livelihoods of the poor (Kollmair and Juli, 2002).

Physical Capital
Physical capital consists of producer goods and the basic infrastructure needed for supporting livelihoods, such
as availability of transport, adequate water supply and sanitation, secure houses and buildings, clean and
affordable energy and access to information. A poor infrastructure can prevent education, income generation
and access to health services (for instance, long periods of time could be spent in non-productive activities such
as the collection of water, in the absence of irrigation facilities. The extra labour force employed could be of use
somewhere else or would be a time resource to go to school). Not only is the physical presence of infrastructure
important as it can be very expensive, but also the pricing and safe disposition for the marginalised and poorest
groups of the community must be considered (Kollmair and Juli, 2002).

Financial Capital
Financial Capital comprises of the financial resources and availability of cash or equivalent that people use to
achieve the objectives of their livelihoods. It enables people to adopt various livelihood strategies. There are
two main sources of financial capital:
a) Accessible stocks that consist of cash, bank deposits or liquid assets (that can easily be converted into
cash, not having liabilities and not dependant on third parties) such as jewellery and livestock.

b) Regular inflows of money that comprise of labour income, transfers from the state, pensions, and
remittances which are usually dependent on others.

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Among the five types of assets mentioned above, financial capital is the most versatile, as it can be easily
converted into other types of capital or it can be used to achieve livelihood outcomes directly (for example, to
purchase food in order to reduce food insecurity, to pay for education, etc.). However, financial capital tends to
be the asset that is least available to the poor which makes other capitals important because they can act as
substitutes (Kollmair and Juli, 2002).

Applications and Limitations of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach

The SLA can be applied in many ways. One way is to conduct a livelihood analysis to measure and assess how
development activities ‘fit’ with the livelihoods of the poor people. Then SLA can be used for monitoring and
evaluation systems within projects or programmes, as was done by Nicol (2000) in Kollmair and Juli (2002),
who adopted SLA in order to monitor, analyse and evaluate efficiency of water projects. Similarly, Gibbon
(1999) in Kollmair and Juli (2002) tried to use the approach in order to address better the issue of poverty
elimination by refocusing on existing projects, applying it to the Nepal-UK Community Forestry Project
(Kollmair and Juli, 2002).

Though there are many applications and strengths of the approach, it has inherent weaknesses too: Firstly, often
practical projects lack enormous time, finances, and personal resources as is required by a differentiated
livelihood analysis. Secondly, since the SLA considers many aspects, it is very difficult to claim to be holistic
as one is flooded with lots and lots of information which is very difficult to cope with. The decision about what
to prioritise may lead us to a normative dilemma. Further, analysis of the livelihood assets may lead to
problems, such as, the difficulties to measure and compare social capital. Additionally, the amount of
dependence from a certain resource, varies according to the local context and determines the asset status of a
person (for example, some people may be able to satisfy their needs with a low level of financial capital
whereas, other people who have more financial capital show less ability to do so (Kollmair and Juli, 2002).

Research Questions
My broader research questions are as follows:
1. What is the status of livelihood assets at the household level of Saidpur village community?
2. How do the natives view development?

I broke down the broader questions further as follows:

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 1. Does the community in Saidpur Village have sufficient and satisfactory resources/assets to sustain
themselves?
2. What facilities are being provided by the government?
3. What is the level of poverty at the household level and what needs to be done to enhance the status of
the residents of this village?
4. Has there been a change in their living status since the development intervention?

Objectives of the study

1. To explore the general living conditions and patterns of the rural community in Saidpur Village of
Islamabad,
2. To explore the facilities and available resources in institution/ infrastructure for this community,
3. To identify willingness to progress and satisfaction over development opportunities,
4. To develop an indigenous model of development for this rural community.

Time Frame of the study

Since the term paper is an academic research of a small scale, so the time frame for this research was one
month; starting at the onset of October and completing it before the end of the month.

Research Methodology
The research paper uses both primary and secondary sources of data which are only qualitative in nature.
 Secondary data was collected through reviews, research articles, journals, case studies and international
reports taken from the library and the internet. This was done to collect demographic information on the
area of study, to conduct a literature review and to develop an in-depth understanding on the topic of
sustainable livelihoods.
 Primary data was collected through a designed questionnaire / interview guide based on questions
generated in light of objectives and relevant literature. Most of the primary data was collected through
face to face interviews.
 Informal interviews were conducted of two key informants at the village.

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Questionnaire Design
The survey conducted for the purpose of this research paper is based on SLA (Sustainable Livelihoods
Approach) as formulated by DFID (Department for International Development, 2001). Only a part of the SLA
framework (the five assets or capitals) was chosen for the purpose of this research paper, as it is a very practical
tool, used to understand complex livelihoods patterns. Also, it focuses on people and their livelihoods
concentrating on what people have (livelihood assets) (Steimann, 2005). Annexure 1 gives an overview of the
questionnaire used for the survey.

Sampling Size and Techniques

Convenience Sampling was used for the selection of households. A minimum of 10 households were selected
and interviews were conducted. The priority was to interview the head of the household whether that is male or
female but due to non-availability of most heads of households during the time of the survey, it was not always
possible. Two key informants were also interviewed.

Limitations of the study

 No published data (library/internet) on the history of the village was available.
 Respondents were hesitant to share any information on their sources of income or types of financial
assets available.
 Due to time constraints, the scope of the study was limited to one component of the SLA framework
(types of assets) and it did not take into account the following;
a) What types of crisis are faced by these villagers and how resistant are they against shocks and crisis,
such as serious diseases, accidents or death of household members, losses of a particular type of
asset (e.g. theft of livestock, etc).
b) How do households respond to a crisis, do they choose an ‘offensive’ coping strategy (e.g.
diversifying their income structure), or do they confine themselves to more ‘defensive’ strategies
(e.g. taking a cash loan)? (Steimann, 2005).

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An Ethnographic Study of Saidpur Model Village in Islamabad
Locale Map

Source: Googlemap

Village Profile
Saidpur is a Mughal era village located on the slopes of the Margalla Hills; it lies off Hill Road to the east of
Daman-e-Koh2 in Islamabad. Saidpur village got its name from Sultan Sarang Khan’s son Said Khan who was a
Ghakkar chief of the Potohar region during Emperor Babur’s time period. Saidpur Model Village as it is widely
known has footprints of various civilisations, these include; Gandhara, Buddhist, Ashoka, Greek, Mughal and
the colonial periods. This village is about 200-250 years old according to information obtained through
interviews with key informants (annexure 2). It has its own history and heritage. The village truly presents a

2
Daman-e-Koh is a view point and hill top garden which lies to the north of Islamabad and in the middle of the Margalla Hills.

13
charming picture of natural beauty as it is constructed along the slopes of the Margalla Hills in Islamabad. It
now serves as a popular recreational spot for both local and foreign visitors.

A snapshot of Saidpur Village

Source: Ahmad (2011)

The uplift of the Model Village

Photo credit: Faisal Saeed

Temple Complex

Photo credit: Laraib

14
The picture above shows the presence of a Hindu temple in this village, also, it shows that the village is known
for its religious harmony and rich cultural traditions. In the picture below, one can see the ‘baithak’ (sitting
area) of a well known sufi saint.

The grave beside the ‘baithak’ (Sitting area)

Source: Ali (2009)

Diyas

Source: Minallah (2011)

Just before sunset on Thursdays, on the slope above Saidpur Village, ‘diyas’ (lamps) are lit by the locals at the
‘baithak’ (meeting area) of the sufi saint or ‘Zinda Pir’ (spiritual healer). People come to pray here for their
worries to be solved (as shown in the pictures above and below).

15
 Children lighting diyas

Photo by the author

The village is also known for its pottery (as shown in the pictures below):

Photo credit: Faisal Saeed

Photo credit: Faisal Saeed

16
Pottery is a dying art. While the elder potters struggle to earn a living, the younger potters are no more willing
to learn the art. The potters should be cherished and helped as they are our national treasures (Minallah, 2007).

Pottery making- “Gharoli”

Source: Minallah (2007)

Traditionally, “Gharoli” was used on weddings exclusively by the bridegroom to take a bath before the
ceremony took place (as shown in the pictures above and below):

“Gharoli”

Source: Minallah (2007)

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Data Analysis and Key Findings
Few important questions that come to mind are that how do the residents of Saidpur village sustain themselves
and what is needed to be done to bring an improvement in their standard of living? Have the natives benefitted
from the development of Saidpur Village Model phase one? Are they better off or worse off? In order to find
answers to these questions, I decided to conduct a small survey of the residents of this village. For this purpose,
I undertook a sample survey of 10 households. Our group also interviewed two key respondents from the
village. For the purpose of the survey, a questionnaire was designed, a representative sample was chosen based
on convenience and hence the survey was conducted.

The key findings from the survey in brief are summarised as follows:

General Profile of the Respondents

The village folk had sufficient knowhow and information on the background of this village and how this village
got its name. The population of the village is approximately 12,000 to 15,000. The language of the natives is
mostly Urdu and Punjabi. The village is about 200-250 years old. The locals speak the Potohari language and
are mostly Muslims. A few Christians also live there. The locals that i interviewed belonged to the Ghakkar and
“Rajput” caste. But it was mentioned to me that various ethnic groups are living there but the “Muqami”
people all belong to the Ghakkar caste.

The age of the respondents was between 24-60 years. 25% of the respondents were males and 75% were
females. 40% of the female respondents interviewed were wives, 20% were heading the household (males),
20% were daughters-in-law of the head of households and 20% were daughters. 10% were living in a single
family whereas only 90% were living in a joint family. 25% of the households had 4 to 5 family members, 25%
had 6 family members and 50% had more than 6 family members per household.

80% of household heads were working as daily skilled and unskilled labourers either as loaders, traders, driving
taxis or as security guards with some security firm, 10% were potters, 10% skilled males worked in government
jobs. All of the households had no means of transport of their own as they did not own any form of vehicle.
50% of household heads were educated till matric. 25% were illiterate and 25% had been educated till
intermediate.

18
In response to the question: whether they are meeting monthly expenses, 25 % of the respondents said that they
were barely meeting their monthly expenses, had to borrow debt occasionally from higher income families in
the village on interest to meet household expenses. 75% said that they did not need to borrow debt to meet their
monthly expenses because they were getting room rent.

Natural Capital
In a response to the question, does anyone own land, 100% respondents said that they don’t own any sort of
land, the land all belongs to the CDA so they do not cultivate any crops for consumption or income generation
purposes.

Physical Capital
In a response to the question regarding house ownership, 100% respondents said they own the house they live
in. 10% of the house material was a combination of “kacha/pakka”, 90% had “pakka” houses. The artificial
source of light in their houses was electricity. The village had no gas although gas pipes have been laid down in
the village. The residents used wood or gas cylinders for heating or cooking purposes. The drinking water was
being supplied through taps but the water source was not clean for drinking and was originating through a local
“chashma”. The facility used for human excretion (toilet) was pit toilets.

25% of the families owned livestock, which included goats and hens, while 75% of the families did not own any
livestock. None of the families owned any mode of transportation while all of them used public suzukis and
taxis as a means of transport.

Financial Capital
In a response to a question whether they have any saving or net cash, 90% replied they have no savings or net
cash. They did not respond to the question of whether they or anyone in their family owned any jewellery. 25%
said they had debts to be repaid.

100% of the respondents said that they had products that could be sold immediately which included a UPS,
television, fridge, washing machine and sewing machine as well.

19
Social Capital
In response to a question whether they helped community members in time of need, 100% replied that they
often did. Apart from all household heads who participate in community decisions, 75% of women said that
they not only participated in community decisions but were also empowered and had a say in important matters,
which came as a surprise. 25% of respondents said that women had a say but only men decide for their
community. 100% respondents replied that there was no drug addict in the family.

Human Capital
As for the number of earning people in the family, 50% of the respondents said they had 1 earning member in
their family while 50% had 2 earning members. 40% of the respondents said they had a senior citizen above 60
years of age living with them.

25% of the respondents said that the family head was illiterate whereas 50% said that the academic qualification
of the family head was matric. 25% of household heads had been educated till intermediate.

When respondents were asked to define health or what it means to them, 25% said that their perception of
health is that when one feels fit and there is no illness. 50% said that health is happiness and everything, it is a
blessing and life revolves around health. 25% of them said that a clean environment and good sanitation
measures lead to health. 100% said that the health of their family head was good.

In a response to the question whether there was anyone disabled in the family, 100% replied that there was no
one disabled in the family.

Government facilities
In a response to a question whether the government was providing any facilities for the village or community,
the response was that only electricity and water was being supplied but there was no gas. There was only one
school for boys and girls till middle level and the village had no dispensary, medical centre or hospital.

Main issues or problems faced

Some of the main problems faced by the people included; there was a “pakka” main road leading to the village
but beyond the restaurants parking area, all roads leading to smaller “gallis” were “kacha”. The “nullah”
running along the village was extremely polluted and dirty. The natives wanted the government to provide

20
employment and income generating opportunities for them. Local politicians had made false promises about
providing jobs to locals but it was just an election gimmick.

Respondents felt that there was a need to generate employment opportunities for the people living in that village
especially in government service. Some felt that there was a need to upgrade the school located in the village
and have one solely for boys and one exclusively for girl as they felt that education could create a difference in
the lives of their children as one could solve one’s own problems through education.

When the respondents were asked to rank the facilities in order of their priority, majority of females put supply
of gas as a top priority while the men put employment opportunities as a top priority. Provision of a hospital
was second followed by sanitation, then up-gradation of school for boys and girls. Clean drinking water was a
low priority and least important to them were toilets.

Happiness
When asked about their perception of happiness, majority said mental wellbeing, peace of mind and health of
family members is happiness for them. A few said getting “roti” twice a day, good food, and respect and taking
care of each other bring happiness. One of the respondents said that the tourists bring in revenue for them as
they have a small souvenir shop and the village is internationally recognised so it makes them happy. When
asked what about money, one respondent said that money is important to some extent but other things
mentioned above are important too.

When asked to rank their living status the response was 95% respondents said that they were happy with their
state of affairs and only 5% said that it was a “majbori” (they had no choice) and that their living status could
be made better by improving the state of cleanliness around them as our religion stresses on it too. No one
seemed to be unhappy.

Development
When asked about their perception of development, 25% said participation of people, where locals are involved
in decision making and when things don’t get imposed on them from outside. 50% said some sort of household
survey should have been conducted to assess the income level of each household and employment opportunities
should have been provided to those who were marginalised. They also said that tourism and recognition of a
place supports development. One respondent said that Capital Development Authority (CDA) should clean their

21
“nullah” and charge natives a nominal fee according to their income level. Another responded replied that the
following constitute development; employment opportunities, poverty alleviation, environmental sustainability,
sanitation, empowerment, security, education, health and participation of people in the whole process of
development.

An Indigenous Model of Development for Saidpur Village

Building Assets
In general, there is a need to bring about improvements in the lives and resilience of the rural poor of Saidpur
Village through a combination of the following strategies:

 Participatory development, building of community representation in local government, women

empowerment by increased participation in household and community decisions so that they can make
better choices for themselves and their families, developing better roads, providing them with an
improved system of transport, taking care of sanitation and hygiene, supply of gas to the village and
enhanced household food security and nutrition.

 Also, by increasing their access to public goods and services. Most households in this village do keep a
few animals only and the land is not in their name, so provision of finance to the natives displaced in
cash or equivalent can help resettle those affected and microfinance schemes for women, etc.

 Improving basic needs and services like providing them with higher education thus increasing their
access to employment opportunities, providing them access to medical facilities and doctors, access to
clean drinking water, opportunities of diversification of income sources through enhancing their
indigenous skills such as tailoring, embroidery, local arts and crafts, etc. A household’s vulnerability
will be decreased when a diversified income structure is present, which means that members of a
household are not depending on daily wages alone, but they also have additional cash income e.g. small
businesses and can cope better with shocks.

 On the other hand, if the income of a household comes from a job that is secure and pays a good salary,
then these households will be able to function well with only a single source of income.

22
 Livelihood Assets Based Community Development Model (Asset Pentagon)

-Engagement of
Human Capital
Social CSO’s and access
Capital to basic social
services

-Creation, training, organisation, - Employment Opportunities.

Building capacity of community
groups, committees and local leaders. - College for boys and girls.
-Technical/vocational/organizational capacity
building (promotion and facilitation of
-Participatory development. indigenous skills (pottery, embroidery, local arts
and crafts).
- Women empowerment - Medical facilities and doctors.
by increased participation in
household and community decisions.

-Provision of clean drinking water.

- Conservation of forests.
-Better roads and “gallis”.
- An improved system of transport.
-Uplift/re-modelling of houses.
-Sanitation and hygiene.
-Solid waste disposal.
- Supply of gas.

-Financial assistance to those

displaced (availability of cash or equivalent).
- Loans to low income families to set up small
indigenous businesses or expansion of existing shops.
Physical -Diversification of income sources e.g. access to
Capital credit schemes, funds for development of community and,
community banks or other micro-credit schemes such
as microfinance for women.
Natural
Capital

Financial Capital

23
Conclusion
It is important not only to manage livelihoods but also to sustain them as is also evident in the case of the study
conducted on Saidpur Village. The indigenous model of community development that I prepared for Saidpur
Village, when looked upon, in view of the findings and analysis of this term paper, leads to the conclusion that
majority of the rural community is not better off after the development intervention took place as it did not
improve the livelihoods of the rural people nor did it enhance the status of living of the residents of this village
and neither did it reduce poverty. The need is to identify those constraints that hinder community development
and poverty reduction. In this case, the following constitute development;

 generation of employment opportunities,

 poverty alleviation,

 environmental sustainability,

 sanitation and hygiene,

 empowerment,

 security,

 education,

 health and

 participation of natives in the whole process of development.

The importance of Sustainable Livelihood Approaches cannot be ignored as it tends to do away with
preconceptions about how the rural community should be developed and aims to develop an accurate and
precise picture of rural people and their environment. People lie at the centre of this approach. The
importance of working with working with people, supporting them to build up their own strengths, realising
their true potential and capability is crucial. At the same time, it is also important to acknowledge how
policies, institutions and external shocks and trends affect the livelihoods approaches to development. So, if
one has to take this research further, the directions of future research should be as are given in the section
below.

24
The poor, marginalised or most vulnerable groups are often excluded by many development interventions.
These groups do not possess sufficient natural, physical, financial, or human capital to participate in income
generation activities. As in the case of Saidpur Village, in order to have a positive impact on these vulnerable
individuals/households/groups, it is important to invest in enterprise development. This means that initial
investments have to be made to provide the natives with a minimum asset base in order to bring them back into
the development process. Last but not the least, all the cultural heritage sites at Saidpur village are deteriorating
and need to be conserved as they are suffering from neglect and the relevant authorities need to recognise their
full potential as tourist attractions in order to generate revenue to benefit the local population of the village.

Way Forward / Future Direction of Research

This research talks about maintaining or enhancing various types of assets in order to enhance their livelihoods
but it does not incorporate other indicators of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLA) as developed by
DFID (2002), such as, it did not take into account the context of vulnerability (stresses and shocks) to determine
livelihoods resilience and sustainability as used by various studies conducted all over the world. But with
certain modifications incorporating all elements of the SLA framework, Saidpur Village’s indigenous model for
development can be made into a more practical and a more representative model for effective policy
intervention. The following types of questions can be made a part of the study in future:
a) What types of crisis are faced by these villagers?
b) How resistant are these people against shocks and crisis, such as serious diseases, accidents or death
of household members, losses of a particular type of asset (e.g. theft of livestock, etc).
c) How do households respond to a crisis, do they choose an ‘offensive’ coping strategy (e.g.
diversifying their income structure), or do they confine themselves to more ‘defensive’ strategies
(e.g. taking a cash loan)?

Lastly, the study does not include cultural capital or symbolic capital; the former refers to non-financial social
assets that promote social mobility beyond economic means. For example, intellect, education, style of dressing,
speech, or physical appearance, the languages spoken, etc. The latter can be referred to the resources that are
available to an individual on the basis of prestige, honor or recognition and it serves as value that one holds
within a culture. For example, a war hero may have symbolic capital in the context of running for political

25
office. Symbolic capital can be a symbolic representation of a land’s cultural value; it can also be embedded in
the built environment or urban form of a city. For example, landmarks usually have symbolic value and utility.

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 Carney, Diana. (1999). The SL Approach to Poverty Reduction, SIDA.

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 DFID. (2000). Achieving Sustainability: Poverty Elimination and the Environment.

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 DFID. (2001). Meeting the Challenge of Poverty in Urban Areas.

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 Farrington, J., Carney, C., Ashley, C. and Turton, C. (1999). Sustainable Livelihoods in Practice: Early
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 Hameed, Waqas., Fakhar-i-Abbas. and Mian, Afsar. (2009). Population Features of Barking Deer
(Muntiacus muntjak) in Margalla Hills National Park, Pakistan, Pakistan J. Zool, 41(2), 137-142.

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 Nicol, Alan. (2000). Adopting a Sustainable Livelihoods Approach to Water Projects: Implications for
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Tanzania. Peter Lang International Academic Publishers.

29
 Annexure 1

QUESTIONNAIRE

Locale:

A brief history:

Ethnic groups:

Profession of respondent:

Basic information of Household:

Age____________ Gender________________ Education Level ________________

Relationship with Household Head:

o Wife
o Son
o Daughter
o Mother
o Father
o Brother
o Sister
o Niece
o Grandmother
o Sister in law
o Mother in law
o Daughter in law
o Any other

Family type (Joint/Single) _________________________

Total Number of Household Members ________________

30
 Men __________Women ___________

Children _________________
o Girls
o Boys

1. Agriculture
2. Service (Govt.)
3. Service (private)
4. Pension
5. Livestock
6. Business (Handicrafts, shops, etc)
1. What is the basic source of income? 7. Daily skilled and unskilled labor
8. Remittances
9. Others, give details__________

Sr # Questions Answers comments

Natural Capital

Does anyone from the family own land? No

Yes, own or rented

2. Irrigated land ( kanal)

Barren land (kanal)

If yes, then how much?

3. Wheat yield

4. Potatoes/ corn/ local crops

5. Vegetable/ fruit

Physical capital

6. House ownership? 1. Own

2. Rented

7. House material? 1. Kacha

2. Kacha / Pakka
3. Pakka

8. What is the artificial source of light in 1. Candle

2. Lamp
your house? 3. Gas cylinder
4. Electricity
9. What is the source of drinking water? 1. No
2. Community

31
 3. Hand pump
4. Any other
10. Which facility is being used for human 1. No facility
2. Pitt toilets
excretion (toilet)? 3. Flush toilets

11. Does your family have livestock? 1. No

2. Yes

12. If yes, then numbers of the cattle from Cattle Quantity

the following; Buffalos /Cow/ Ox

Donkey/ horse/ mule

1. Buffalos/Ox/Cow Goats

2. Donkey/ horse/ mule Sheep

3. Goats
4. Sheep Hens
5. Hens
13. Does any family member have transport 1. Nothing
2. Hand push cart/donkey cart
facility? 3. Cycle
4. Motorcycle
5. Jeep/car/taxi
6. Tractor

Financial capital

14. Do you have any saving or net cash? 1. No

2. Yes

15. Do you have jewelry? (gold or silver) 1. No

2. Yes

16. Do you have debts to be paid? 1. Yes

2. No

17. Do you have products that can be sold 1. No

2. Yes
immediately? 3. List a few assets (TV, Fridge,
Washing Machine, Sewing
machine, etc.)
18. Access to credit? 1. No
2. Yes

Social Capital

19. Do you help community members in time 1. Never

2. Sometime
of need? 3. Often

20. Do you participate in community 1. Never

2. Sometime
decisions? 3. Often

21. Is there any drug addict in the family? 1. No

2. Yes

32
 Human capital

22. Number of earning people in the family? 1. Male

2. Female
3. Children (from birth till 18 Y
age)
4. Total

23. Senior citizens above 60 1. Yes

2. No

24. What is the academic qualification of the 1. Illiterate

2. Primary
family head? 3. Middle
4. Matric
5. Intermediate
25. a)How do you define health?
_______________________________________

b)How do you find the health of family 1. Sick

2. Normal
head? 3. Good

26. Is there anyone disabled in the family? 1. No

2. Yes
3. More than one
27. If there are disabled in the family, do 1. No
2. Yes
they work?

28. Is the government providing any facilities for this village/community?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

29. What are some of the problems you face living here?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

33
30. Rank the following facilities in order of your priority?

a) Clean drinking water

b) Gas
c) Schools for boys/girls
d) Toilets
e) Transport facility
f) Hospital
g) Employment
h) Parks
i) Any other______________________________________________________________________

31. What is happiness? Is it any one of the following?

o Money
o Clean drinking water
o Clean environment
o Respect
o Good health
o Good education
o Good food
o Mental wellbeing
o Any other ______________________________________________________________________

32. In spite of everything, are you happy with your living status? If yes, why are you happy? Where does it
come from?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

33. What is development?

 Employment opportunities
 Poverty alleviation
 Environmental sustainability
 Sanitation
 Empowerment
 Security
 Education
 Health
 Participation of people
34
  Any other

34. My own observations/comments:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

35
 Annexure 2
Key informant interview 1

Raja Khaliq uz Zaman was interviewed whose political affiliation is with PML (N) and is 60 years old. He is
known as Raja Sahab. He narrated the whole history of Saidpur Village to us. People belonging to the
“Ghakkar” caste owned Saidpur and have been living in the village since the past 200 years. Now the fifth
generation is growing up there. Previously, the village extended till Rawalpindi. By occupation, the village folk
were “Zamindars” who grew fruits, vegetables, wheat and maize. Since the area was “Barani”, it was rain fed.
Previously, before partition there were Hindus and Sikhs living there but not anymore as they all migrated after
partition. So the people currently living there are all Muslims. A few Christians live there too.

Saidpur village was uplifted 6 years ago as a survival strategy as he encouraged and brought CDA to buy the
land and develop the area otherwise it was feared that villagers might have to be evicted out of the village for
any other development activity to take place. The village has almost 10,000 houses. People living there are
divided into two categories; “muqami” (the “Ghakkars”) and “ghair-muqami” (those who have migrated from
elsewhere and taken up rooms on rent).

Fifty years ago, the first primary school was set up there, which has now been upgraded to a middle school.
Now since CDA owns the land, there is no agriculture and the village folk in order to generate income either
renovate a room and give it up on rent or seek employment outside the village. The ratio of employment outside
the village is 60% for men and 40% women.

The only good thing that came out of the development intervention is that the restaurant “Des Pardes” provides
employment to 70 to 80 people from the village; the village has electricity and water but no gas. The biggest
issues are that since our leaders are not honest and CDA is corrupt and works for its own benefit, the
development intervention effects have not trickled down to the village folk and they are highly critical of the
intervention. There is no hospital; doctors or even a medical centre, there is just one high school both for boys
and girls.

He also talked about the degradation of moral values and how they have changed with time. He appreciated the
fact that all three females in our group had covered our heads and treated us with respect. He said we were just
like his own daughters.

The uplift was phase one of the project and phase two was suspended due to shortage of funds by the
government.

Then he narrated the story of “Pir baba” that was greatly revered and had many hundred thousand followers.
Where ever these saints used to sit, fresh water streams flowed nearby to irrigate the land for cultivation.

36
 Key informant interview 2

Abdul Qayyum was interviewed who is 55 years old and works in the school administration since 1998. The
name of the school is Islamabad Model School for Girls and Boys (classes 1-10). The school is spread over 6.5
kanals.

The history of the school and the Saidpur Village he narrated is as follows:

The village was built in 1600 century, before partition, the school was a middle school, after partition it was
converted into a primary school and then in 1953-54 the primary school was demolished and shifted inside
“Mandar”.

Previously, Saidpur village was a “mandi” to trade and sell. There was livestock, homeo products, pottery, etc.
When Islamabad came into being, Saidpur become a proper village. The new school building was constructed in
2008. It was converted into a middle school in 1996. It is currently running two shifts one for girls in the
morning and one for boys in the afternoon. The strength of girls is more than boys in the school. There are
approximately 300 to 375 girls and about 350 boys in the school. The reason is that since boys study in the
afternoon (second shift) the families that can afford to send boys outside the village into better schools and
morning shifts then do so.

The teachers are hired by the Federal Directorate of Employees, which works under the Ministry of CADD
(Capital Administration and Development Division). The principal of the school cannot appoint teachers. One
teacher has approximately 30 to 40 students per class depending on the strength of the class. Previously, there
was one teacher to teach to five classrooms. There is no school fee as the education is subsidized by the Federal
Directorate. The school charges a nominal fund of Rs. 10 per month providing free education and books to
students.

The facilities that he mentioned at the school include; electricity, water, and telephone. Some of the problems
there were that there is no gas in the village and there is still shortage of staff at the school. The achievement
that he mentioned is that both students and teachers are hardworking and the school has achieved 100% result
for matriculation. The Administration staff at the school belongs to Saidpur Village while the teachers are all
outsiders.

The Saidpur village model was planned as a three phase model but not even one phase was completed. If the
entire three phase project had been completed, then it would have benefitted the entire village as it had the
potential of becoming a great tourist attraction as the view is very good. The three phases that he mentioned
were as follows:

1. Model Village (local houses to get a facelift/up-gradation)

2. Tourist Village to extend till the other end of Margalla Hills (hotels and resorts)
3. Arts and Crafts village which was to display crafts from all four provinces of Pakistan.

37
The then CDA chairman, Mr. Kamran Lashari, had envisioned providing small shops for natives like “lassi”,
“pakoras”, etc. Shakarparian, Saidpur Village, Peer Sohawa and Daman-e-Koh were supposed to be linked
through a chairlift in phase three. But unfortunately, the project fell short of funds. As in Pakistan, projects start
but don’t get completed due to various reasons.

Mr. Lashari had made a committee of locals to solve issues of natives so that no native loses out or is harmed by
the development taking place. It so happened that people with an approach got compensated and majority of
those affected got no compensation and were left out. In 1967, CDA bought the entire land at peanuts thus
leaving the land of natives not in their own name. Now, it is the third generation of people living there on CDA
land and can get evicted anytime. Some of the affected locals of Saidpur Village got relocated to I-9/I-10, they
were given 3-5 marlas of land and those who could afford to pay a down payment of Rs.10,000 bought it while
those who could not afford were left out. Then he also mentioned about the plot mafia being involved who
bought land from natives on less price, so the CDA and the land mafia grabbed the land?

38