Not satisfactory!
It is becoming difficult to find areas where the government’s performance is satisfactory. The security situation is hardly worth writing home about. There was much talk after the school attack in Peshawar, yet the months and weeks since have proved that the government remains without a workable strategy. Terrorists continue to strike at will; now openly in revenge for executions as part of the National Action Plan (NAP). And since there are threats of (many) more such reprisal attacks, the government and military’s scramble to complete NAP formalities will be tested to the hilt. Granted, people were united after the school attack, but if the government proves helpless every time the enemy strikes, questions are bound to be raised, weakening the civ-mil coalition, etc.
Performance on the other important front – economy – is also far from impressive. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is used to coming back happy from IMF meetings (in Dubai), even if the exchange makes for less than optimistic news. This time, for example, our ‘win’ was getting the Fund to agree to a revised deficit target – whereas usually positive news is associated with achieving targets and milestones, not missing them. Dar sb is unusually fond of interfering in the money market – taking credit for lowering inflation and announcing the new state bank policy rate – but he remains mute about decreasing input prices not filtering through the economy, which directly concerns the people.
Surely he should not need reminding that the recent oil fall did not translate into lower prices across the board, which is usually the case. It did not stop him from taking credit for the price fall, though, even if Brent crude doing through the floor was an international phenomenon far removed from Islamabad’s reach. The main reason for the government’s failure is its style of governance and its sense of priorities. Despite its rhetoric, it has not been able to shake off popular perception of high-level corruption. The leaders’ position is not helped by their families living lavish, almost regal, lives in some of the most expensive places in the world, exhibiting wealth far above their quarters. It behooves the leaders, though, to take stock of changing attitudes of the people. If those in power continue to rob the system like the old days, the people will revolt. It’s time the N-league readjusted its way of running the country, lest it creates more hurdles for itself.