Nawaz Sharif’s fears

And government’s priorities

One would agree with Nawaz Sharif that with a number of development projects including the CPEC on various stages of implementation, an attempt to destabilise the elected government would harm the crucial projects as well as the growth of democracy. There are however questions about the Prime Minister’s model of development which need to be answered.

There is a big gap between the promises made before the elections and the later performance of the government. The PML-N had won the elections with vows to end load shedding within two or three years, if not earlier. Load shedding continues to persist bedeviling all sections of population, whether rural or urban, and acting as a disincentive to local and foreign investors. The incidence of terrorism has come down after the military operation but much more needs to be done before one can claim victory, as the recent dramatic attacks by the IS indicate.

Soon after assuming power the government’s focus shifted to high profile projects and the major share of resources was diverted to building roads, underpasses and overhead bridges because of wrong priorities. Pakistan has an extra large reservoir of youthful population which could change the destiny of the country if provided training in skills in consonance with the changing market demands. There was also a need for making Pakistan a business friendly country by bringing down the cost of doing business, red tapism and widespread corruption. All this required government’s full attention which remained concentrated on building roads. Forgetting its oft-repeated promise to break the begging bowl, the government went on a borrowing binge for its favourite projects.

No critic, competitor or plotter can do harm to the PML-N government more than a disgruntled populace. Conversely, no institution, ally or foreign power can better secure the government than a satisfied electorate. It is time the PML-N leadership comes out of its ivory tower. It needs to address the common man’s problems like unemployment, rising cost of living, access to better and cheaper education and an end to load shedding. For this it has to re-determine its priorities.