Daily Times

It’s said that in journalism, good news is no news but bad news is. Then there is news that spells good fortune for some but it’s unnerving for the large majority of the people. Sanction of luxury vehicles and double cabins worth Rs3.2 billion for bureaucrats starting from the level of an assistant commissioner upward is a bonanza for them at the cost of the taxpayers. Simultaneously, increasing the per unit price of electricity dropped like a bombshell on the middle class and those living below the poverty line. Reportedly, ten million people live a life of poverty across the country.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif recently termed the IMF’s agreement as “a breather for the country.” After pointing out the so-called “breather…,” he emphasised that it was “a moment of introspection for all.” No sooner did the nation receive the news of IMF’s breather, than was announced the purchase of luxury vehicles for the bureaucrats costing a prodigious amount of Rs3.2 billion. As an ordinary taxpayer, I am shocked at how the tax money is squandered to appease the bureaucracy. An assistant commissioner, the junior most officer, after clearing the CSS exam, should not ride a vehicle more than 1000 cc, instead of a swanky four-wheel drive monster assigned to him. More shockingly, vice chancellors of some public sector universities have been given luxurious vehicles like Audis and Fortuners for their official and private use.

Every Pakistani, including the newborns, carries the debt burden amounting to Rs 216,708, as announced in January 2023.

In comparison, let’s consider our neighbour, India, to see what kind of austere life the bureaucrats, judges and generals lead, carry out their duties and the vehicles they travel in. Simple living in all walks of life is Indians’ lifestyle, more so in bureaucratic organisations. No wonder the Indian economy is booming and its foreign reserves crossed $609 billion on July 14.

The COAS Gen Asim Munir recently announced that “it’s time for Pakistanis to throw out the begging bowl.” He said it in his address while inaugurating the Khanewal Model Agricultural Farm near Khanewal, which is the first step toward corporate farming undertaken by the military. Throughout his speech, he asserted that Pakistanis were a proud nation and that it was time for them to “throw away the begging bowl.” He repeatedly highlighted his main point, “Pakistanis are a proud, zealous and talented nation. All Pakistanis must throw out the beggar’s bowl.” Sir, allow me to point out as to which classes of people in the country are mainly responsible for adding up huge loans to the extent that every Pakistani, including the new-borns, carries the debt burden amounting to Rs216,708, as announced in January 2023.

The debt burden mentioned above is also borne by the class whose individuals kill themselves, their wives and their children for want of two square meals. Surely, they are not responsible for adding to the debt as are the privileged classes in the society, not to mention the luxury vehicles worth Rs3.2 billion for the bureaucrats. If the lifestyle of bureaucrats, the remnants of the British raj, which the British ditched long ago, had moral sense, they should have declined such luxuries. After all, whom do they have to impress and prove themselves superior to other than the ordinary blokes in the country? In any case, a large majority of people abhor the bureaucrats zooming around in luxury vehicles. Wasn’t there a time when the bureaucrats travelled in jeeps to carry out their duties?

As a suggestion about corporate farming, it was better to choose far-flung barren lands for this kind of undertaking instead of selecting one of the most fertile lands of Khanewal.

Our professional economists, and thinking citizens, are fully aware of what prevents the growth of our national economy. And which typical classes of society consume the major portions of the budget. They are also clear about what remedial measures to take to progress. To meet the budgetary requirements, the country has to carry the begging bowl – the same begging bowl that the COAS wants the nation to get rid of. The crux of the matter is that we, especially the upper segments of society, must learn to live within our means and, most importantly, do whatever is possible to alleviate the miseries of the poor classes of society.

The writer is a Lahore-based columnist and can be reached at pinecity @gmail.com