Bol Weekly Newspaper
Sept. 18, 2022
The task of putting the house in order starts by bringing in a strong and stable government which enjoys the trust of the masses. This can only be done by calling snap-elections. Those who want this Parliament – with an incomplete National Assembly – to complete its term, want Pakistan to implode from within.
Those analysts do not exaggerate when they say that these are the most testing times for the country since 1970-71. Those sharp divisions of led to the East Pakistan debacle against the backdrop of a massive cyclone there. Today, the signs are equally ominous as the divide and confrontation is not just restricted between the political rivals – the PDM versus Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), but it has seeped into the very core of our civil society and institutions.
In the 1970s, if the core of the problem was the power and economic imbalance between the Eastern and Western wings of Pakistan, today the political division and discord is over whether the country should again be handed over to the corruption-tainted political dynasties through a dubious and flawed process in the name of democracy and parliament.
Attached to this question are other fundamental issues that include reforming this non-performing parliamentary system, which is elitist in nature and deny people belonging to the middle and the lower-middle classes, and workers and peasants a representation in the law and decision-making process. The tried, tested and failed system allows politicians to run political parties like their personal or family fiefdoms, and condones and encourages corruption, nepotism and the elite capture of the national resources. The 18th amendment, which has allowed provinces to function as states within a state, and the flawed distribution formula of the national resources in which the centre remains responsible for all the responsibilities, but without any money, has made Pakistan unsustainable. Against this backdrop, Imran Khan’s call for the creation of smaller provinces, accountability of the corrupt and sweeping political and economic reforms backed by an independent foreign policy makes sense. Whether his own party, the PTI, has the capacity and ability to make this happen is a separate discussion.
The crux of the matter is that Pakistan under the current form appears to be getting weaker, and more and more unmanageable and ungovernable with each passing day. The situation has become even more complicated because of one of the worst natural calamities that has befallen Pakistan in the form of devastating floods. This has aggravated Pakistan’s already precarious economic situation. There is a need to put an immediate halt to this non-stop steep deterioration.
But the question remains where to start? An unpopular, controversial coalition government, which itself is mired with unresolvable internal contradictions, is unable to give any direction and pull the country out of this political and economic quagmire. The past five months are a living proof of how the Shehbaz Sharif government has failed the country on every front, particularly the economy. Inflation is hovering at more than 27 percent – a 49 year high. The rupee is taking a beating against the dollar every day. Economic activity had slowed down even before the floods hit the country. The body language of the government stalwarts – from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Finance Minister Miftah Ismail – is defeatist as they fail to convince the big businesses and corporates to bet on Pakistan.
The task of putting the house in order starts by bringing in a strong and stable government which enjoys the trust of the masses. This can only be done by calling snap-elections. Those who want this Parliament – with an incomplete National Assembly – to complete its term, want Pakistan to implode from within. They just want to serve their personal agenda and narrow political interests. A country of more than 220 million people cannot be allowed to ruin itself on the whims and fancies of a handful of individuals or political dynasties.
The state institutions – particularly the Pakistan Army and the judiciary – must act before it is too late for the country. They should facilitate the installation of an independent caretaker setup with a clear roadmap for the next general elections. Anything short of that and any delays would only damage Pakistan. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
In the 1970s, if the core of the problem was the power and economic imbalance between the Eastern and Western wings of Pakistan, today the political division and discord is over whether the country should again be handed over to the corruption-tainted political dynasties through a dubious and flawed process in the name of democracy and parliament.
Attached to this question are other fundamental issues that include reforming this non-performing parliamentary system, which is elitist in nature and deny people belonging to the middle and the lower-middle classes, and workers and peasants a representation in the law and decision-making process. The tried, tested and failed system allows politicians to run political parties like their personal or family fiefdoms, and condones and encourages corruption, nepotism and the elite capture of the national resources. The 18th amendment, which has allowed provinces to function as states within a state, and the flawed distribution formula of the national resources in which the centre remains responsible for all the responsibilities, but without any money, has made Pakistan unsustainable. Against this backdrop, Imran Khan’s call for the creation of smaller provinces, accountability of the corrupt and sweeping political and economic reforms backed by an independent foreign policy makes sense. Whether his own party, the PTI, has the capacity and ability to make this happen is a separate discussion.
The crux of the matter is that Pakistan under the current form appears to be getting weaker, and more and more unmanageable and ungovernable with each passing day. The situation has become even more complicated because of one of the worst natural calamities that has befallen Pakistan in the form of devastating floods. This has aggravated Pakistan’s already precarious economic situation. There is a need to put an immediate halt to this non-stop steep deterioration.
But the question remains where to start? An unpopular, controversial coalition government, which itself is mired with unresolvable internal contradictions, is unable to give any direction and pull the country out of this political and economic quagmire. The past five months are a living proof of how the Shehbaz Sharif government has failed the country on every front, particularly the economy. Inflation is hovering at more than 27 percent – a 49 year high. The rupee is taking a beating against the dollar every day. Economic activity had slowed down even before the floods hit the country. The body language of the government stalwarts – from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Finance Minister Miftah Ismail – is defeatist as they fail to convince the big businesses and corporates to bet on Pakistan.
The task of putting the house in order starts by bringing in a strong and stable government which enjoys the trust of the masses. This can only be done by calling snap-elections. Those who want this Parliament – with an incomplete National Assembly – to complete its term, want Pakistan to implode from within. They just want to serve their personal agenda and narrow political interests. A country of more than 220 million people cannot be allowed to ruin itself on the whims and fancies of a handful of individuals or political dynasties.
The state institutions – particularly the Pakistan Army and the judiciary – must act before it is too late for the country. They should facilitate the installation of an independent caretaker setup with a clear roadmap for the next general elections. Anything short of that and any delays would only damage Pakistan. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
No comments:
Post a Comment