June 27, 2019
Imran Khan Should Focus on Rebuilding
Pakistan Than Targeting Political Rivals
By
Saeed Qureshi
The
PTI (Pakistan Tehrik-e- Insaf) party is sitting in the saddle of power since 18
August 2018. It is the day when Imran Khan, the PTI Chairman took oath of the
office as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan. Out of that Five years tenure,
PTI has already exhausted ten months. The PTI and for that matter its Chairman
Imran Khan’s slogans, roadmap and pledges announced before and after elections
for bringing a remarkable revolution for the uplift of Pakistan were extremely
plausible and enticing.
It
was an historic victory for PTI, a back bencher political party to defeat the
traditional political parties as well as the veteran politicians, and take over
power to rule Pakistan for five years. The young generation was in the lead
allover Pakistan in bringing the PTI and Imran Khan in power. There were quite
a few prolonged sit-in demonstrations in big cities of Pakistan and
specifically in Islamabad; the Capital city of Pakistan.
During
his victory speech, Imran Khan as prime minister laid-out the policy planks and
outlines of his future government. Khan therein said that his inspiration to
build Pakistan as a humanitarian state was based upon the foundations and
principles of the first Islamic State of Medina established by prophet Muhammad
himself. He announced that his future government will put poor and commoners of
the country at first and all policies will be geared towards elevating the
living standards of the lesser fortunate.
He
promised an investigation into the allegations of election rigging. He said
that he wanted a united Pakistan and would refrain from victimizing his
political opponents. He pledged that everyone will be equal under the law. He
promised a simple and less costly government devoid of pomp and artificial
luster. He pointed out that the spacious Prime Minister house will be converted
into an educational institute and that the governor houses will be used for
public benefit.
On
foreign policy, he declared to learn from China and hoped to have better
relations with Afghanistan, United States, India and the Middle East. He said
his government will strive to have a balanced relationship with Saudi Arabia
and Iran. The people of Pakistan were exuberant and excited for an historic
revolution and believed Pakistan to be emerging as a country advancing on the
path to the progress and prosperity and as a modern state in making.
Now
when we look around in Pakistan, we find just the opposing scenario unfolding
of what was promised by prime minister Imran Khan. The economy is in bad shape.
Pakistan seems to be worse than what it used to be during the previous
dispensation of PPPP and the PMLN. We find an overall and expanding
deterioration and pervasive decline in all spheres of national development as
well as the nation-building institutions.
We
shudder to watch the television and the anchors announcing the rapid decline of
the Pakistan rupee and fattening of Dollar. There seems to be no stoppage in
this trend of Pakistan rupee getting weaker day by day and moment by moment.
Currently one U.S. dollar is equal to Rs. 164.00 which is an all-time high in
Pakistan.
The
PTI failed to achieve Rs. 4435 billion taxes target. Fiscal deficit is Rs.3.6
trillion. So far it overspent 2000 billion dollars. Inflation has gone by 13%
and interest 15 %. Abolishing zero regime for exporters has caused low exports.
Imposing 27% custom duty on 2400 TAMFF lines is another blow to the export and
import business activity. At the same time PTI has procured 5 trillion rupees
from IMF and other international financial sources.
What
has proven to be the bane of the PTI government is that it has engaged itself
in a useless wild goose chasing kind of pursuit against the political opponents
as its top priority. That priority or undertaking should have been left to the
concerned law and order agencies and related departments. The involvement of
the prime minister and his ministers with venomous declarations, vendetta
oaths, frightening challenges and dire threats hurled at the political
opponents have been a consistent pastime with the stalwarts of the incumbent
PTI government including the prime minister and his ministers.
Granted
that the politicians in the past, have been corrupt and grabbed money. Yet this
should be carried along with other urgent and indispensable reforms such as
bridling the worsening law and order situation including the daily murders,
thefts, highway robberies and break-ins and similar heinous crimes. Runaway
economy has to be bridled. Rupee has to be stabilized and exports to be
encouraged with more incentives and easy loans.
Thus
far, what the people come across is a kind of bitter blame game, rhetorical
rebuttals and vicious condemnation against the political rivals and party
leaders, launched by the foot soldiers and spokespersons such as Chaudhry Fawad
Hussain, (the former
information
minister and presently Federal Minister for Science and Technology), Madam
Firdaus Ashiq Awan, the fire- spitting advisor to the prime minister and other
stalwarts in power. This rancor and vendetta are so intense and unstinting that
the leaders of the opposition parties notably the PPPP and PMNL have been
implicated in corruption cases for which they had to remain in jail for a
prolonged period of time and are still being prosecuted.
Even
otherwise the culture of corruption and lawlessness is still in place. The PTI
government has not been able to carry out other measures and reforms that could
stop the pervasive culture of corruption all over Pakistan. It demonstrates
that the aim was not to root out corruption and lawlessness but to use that
ploy for fixing, harassing and sidelining the political opponents or political
contenders. That attitude and outlook is a barrier for democratic culture and
political freedom to the opposition leaders.
There
should be an end to this kind of rancorous blame game and political
witch-hunting by the PTI government that is aimed at keeping the political
rivals out of politics and domain of democratic culture. The PTI government
should focus on launching such schemes, projects, programs and reforms that can
eliminate the overall poverty of the masses. It should enact laws and efforts
to root-out lawlessness, culture of crime and thuggery, moral and financial
malpractices in Pakistan.
Along
with initiating financial and fiscal corruption cases against the politicians,
it should have initiated and launched programs, projects and reforms geared
towards nation building. It should aim at bringing relief to the people and
making their lives easy and comfortable as we can see in many countries elsewhere
in the world. A gigantic campaign of restructuring all public serving
departments and institutions such as education, agriculture judiciary,
infrastructure, road buildings, provision of water and electricity in every
house and business location. Besides Pakistan needs to create a civil society
by applying the local government systems and models of the countries such as
USA, Canada, Great Britain West Germany and Scandinavian States. That would
bring Pakistan in the comity of the fast developing and even developed nations
in due course of time.
PTI
Government seems to be focused on wrong priorities. Primarily it is not a
question of fixing the politicians but improving and modernizing the state and
society of Pakistan, Pakistan needs modern models of education, health, jobs,
courts, infrastructure, roads, highways, modern sewerage and water supply
systems that we find in advanced countries. The dirt, the filth both physical,
moral and
similar
wicked pursuits should be rooted out by copying the systems enforced and in
place in developed countries. Turning Pakistan into a later day State of Medina
is all alright from moral and religious angles. However, the people need the
modern socio-civic living comforts such as electricity, water, roads, hospitals
hygiene peace and institutional efficiency.
Imran
Khan who lived in western countries and must be having awareness as to how
those countries are serving their people with galore of socio-civic facilities,
peace, law, order and harmony. Imran Khan can become the architect of a new,
modern, prosperous, civically advanced and a modern state of Pakistan.
Thereafter the people won’t flee and sneak legally or illegally to foreign
countries for better and peaceful living, jobs, security and galore of
socio-economic and civic facilities, true justice, accountability and safety.
Let
us not forget that Pakistan came into being after great efforts and colossal
sacrifices by the Muslims of the Indian Subcontinent under the inimitable
leadership of Quaid-e- Azam-Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his illustrious companions
and cohorts. It looks Pakistan would be going through another phase of chaos
and turmoil caused by the meaningless tussle between the PTI government and the
opposition parties. If this bizarre situation prolongs or worsens, the army may
step in and impose martial law as we have witnessed in the past.
In
the aftermath of the All Parties Conference, JUI Chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman
announced in a press conference to observe July 25, 2019 as a Black Day against
what he accused of rigging in general elections. This might spur another crisis
that would entail oppressive retaliation by the PTI government embittering the
political climate further.
The
Writer is a Former Diplomat, Senior Journalist and Former Editor of Diplomatic
Times Published in Pakistan
