It must be incredibly hard for the official mouthpieces to make a case for their government these days–probably why, they are nowhere to be found. Removing the Dar peg from the currency market appears to have had no effect whatsoever as the ambitious dollar creeps higher and higher. Since there is no end to this instability, at least in the immediate future, Pakistan only stands to lose: blow after blow to its precious treasury, an adamant yet abysmal export situation and millions holding their breath in anticipation of the plunge below the poverty line. While Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif did not have a friendly pitch, to begin with, the determination of prices to go through the roof and an overall economic apocalypse would prove to be nothing less than the last nail in the proverbial coffin of his party’s electoral capital. No matter how popular any leader may be, history is replete with examples of how empty stomachs, dark houses and dead markets paved the way for shuffles in the political deck. Simply sitting in front of cameras and shaking his head over how his financial wizard is braving through a “very tough time” at the hands of the IMF delegation would not whip up support for the “unimaginable” conditions needed to complete the review. As the country is repeatedly being asked to buckle up for the rough ride ahead, there are no signs of austerity coming from the powerful quarters. Only last week, reports of luxury cars and high-end electric vehicles to the tune of $1.2 billion imported by our cash-strapped state hit headlines, much to the fury of industrialists whose containers of essential goods languish at ports. It has come to a point that an institution we had approached for a monetary lifeline is now asking Pakistan to first put its house in order and unroll a string of accountability measures. Do we have it in ourselves to take this golden opportunity and turn over a new balancing leaf? The question hangs heavy in the air. *