PM’s address explains how
Cynicism is a state of mind when all the mental faculties to distinguish between good and bad are obscured and the individuals and groups suffering from it exhibit an irresistible propensity to invariably focus their attention on dark side of every thing and consciously or unconsciously spread despondency among the masses. The opprobrium being hurled at the contents of the maiden address to the nation by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the style of his delivery is a classic example of cynicism that afflicts the minds of his diehard detractors.
The major element of the flak directed at him is that his address was merely a litany of the problems that the country is confronted with and already known to the people and it lacked the vision and programme of action to tackle them. A leader of opposition even went to the extent of saying that he had for the first time seen a prime minister speaking to the nation like addressing a press conference. Some assuaged their thirst to have a swipe at the prime minister by saying that he missed mention of some other crucial issues in his speech. Still others were critical of the strategy to deal with retiring of the circular debt, resort to tariff adjustment of electricity and withdrawal of subsidies aimed at preventing its re-emergence without bothering to mention the economic imperative for such a policy option.
Difference of opinion, freedom of expression and constructive criticism are the hallmark of a democratic polity that nurture and strengthen the gains of democracy and act as a propeller to social and economic progress of the country. Nobody who believes in democratic values would begrudge the right of individuals, groups and political parties to carry out a critical appraisal of the policies of the government or the conduct of the rulers in running the state affairs, but when this right descends into the realm of cynicism, it does merit to be exposed and contested.
Honestly speaking, prime minister’s address was a heart to heart talk with the masses who are the biggest stakeholders in regards to the future of the country. His body language reflected the pain and concern that he felt over the obtaining situation in the country, his resolve and determination to take the challenges head on and the sincerity of purpose with which he and his government intended to proceed. It was an honest acknowledgement of the severity of the challenges and a realistic assessment of the magnitude of the effort and the timeframe that was required to fix these problems, particularly the energy crisis.
Contrary to the sentimental binge of Shahbaz Sharif during the election campaign to fix the crisis within six months, the prime minister right from the day he assumed the mantle of premiership has been urging the masses not to expect miracles in regards to getting the power outages out of the way. In his address, without caring for how much embarrassment this would cause to the Khadim-e-Aala, the prime minister minced no words about the timeframe that was required to tackle the energy crisis. He sounded like a completely transformed leader in comparison to his previous stints at the helm of affairs, burning with the desire to winch Pakistan out of the quick sand it lies embedded into.
His government has made an auspicious beginning in the energy sector by retiring the circular debt which undoubtedly has improved the power supply position. Not only that it has also made some harsh decisions dictated by economic realities, and rightly so, to prevent the circular debt raising its ugly head again and pulling the country back to square one. The only option available to stem the tide in the short run is to re-adjust the long overdue power tariff and phasing out the subsidies. At present the government is spending Rs580 billion on subsides. The adjustment in tariff and gradual withdrawal of subsidies will enable the government to muster enough resources to keep the circular debt at bay.
Installation of new power projects, as the prime minister said requires a time lag of four years for coal based units and nearly eight years for hydropower projects. Not only that they require huge foreign investments which for a cash-starved Pakistan are utmost necessary. The government initiative in this regard has been very successful and the Chinese firms have committed to make huge investments in this sector during the next five years. The switch over to coal based power plants and other renewable energy resources designed to change the energy mix is another substantive and prudent move which will not only bring energy security to the country but will also result in producing cheaper electricity in the future. Making sacrifices for a brighter future, therefore, are justifiable from economic and social perspectives and we must be absolutely forthcoming on that.
On terrorism and religious extremism which pose an existentialist threat to Pakistan, the prime minister seemed absolutely determined to deal with on top priority basis and was very clear on how to go about it. He spelled out a two-pronged strategy, first to explore the possibility of settling the issue through dialogue with the elements who have gone astray and in case of failure to go for eliminating it through force to establish the writ of the state. There is no wavering on the issue.
On relations with India, his reasoning for improvement of relations was impeccable and rooted in historic global realities. He termed Kashmir as a jugular vein of Pakistan, which he rightly perceived, could be settled along with other issues through economic strength. He also talked about revisiting Afghan Policy and his encounter with John Kerry on drones and the endorsement of Pakistan’s position by UN Secretary General.
He expressed his commitment to assist Balochistan government in maintaining peace, restoring peace and tranquility in Karachi, weeding out corruption from public sector and exhaustively dilated on how he envisaged to resurrect the economy through mega projects like economic corridor, Lahore to Karachi motorway and metro train for Karachi.
It was surely an all encompassing discourse. He surely means business and it is imperative that all political and social entities support his efforts to rebuild Pakistan. The country is at the crossroads and the success of his efforts is utmost necessary for survival of the country and democracy. It is perhaps our last chance to prevent Pakistan from bursting at the seams. We can deal with internal and external threats only through an impregnable unity and honesty of purpose driven by national interests.
The writer is an academic.
the main reason why nawaz Sharif is not respected and also his talk to the nation is not taken seriously is that he lacks credibility because of his past record of money laundering and other corrupt practises with his beloved brother. It is also widely believed that he manupelated and rigged the election. He is further conceived to be a man of lot of talk and no action.
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