Daily Times

After Imran Khan’s much-belated arrest in the Toshakhana case, the hot topic these days is who to nominate as the interim prime minister until the elections are held. Even the date for the new election is so far a mystery. At the time of writing these lines, PM Shahbaz Sharif’s government wound up with a dinner consisting of a sumptuous menu to suit the palate of every member. As the interim government will not be under any public obligation, it could take some far-reaching decisions in the public interest that the previous political governments lacked the courage to take.

Incorporating major changes to streamline the economy to put it on the right track should be the main aim of the interim government, especially when the population according to the new census has hit 240 million. Public funds must be treated as a sacred trust and used for public welfare only. For instance, why there were so many luxury vehicles in Imran Niazi’s convoy on the Motorway when he was taken to Attock jail as a criminal declared by the court? While young lawyers have been pleading Imran Niazi’s case, where is the domineering Dr Babar Awan (PhD Monticello) who usually stood beside Niazi as his legal eagle?

However, to prove that the interim government wants to act purely in the public interest, it must straightaway proceed to privatise the loss-making organisations like the Pakistan Steel Mills, PIA and SMEs that guzzle taxpayers’ hard-earned money and international loans to keep going. The condition of the public sector organisations is pathetic. Take the case of Pakistan Railways. It’s often the source of breaking news every time it meets a new accident, which is very frequent. The usual cause quoted for such accidents is the jamming of wheels of the bogies or railway track giving up due to poor maintenance.

The lack of accountability of the government departments is simply mind-boggling.

It’s worth mentioning that organisations like the PIA and the PR have had their heydays. Training staff of the PIA, when its planes carried the emblem ‘Great People to Fly With, trained the airline staff of some of the Middle Eastern countries. Similarly, the Pakistan Railway when called as North Western Railway (NWR) provided excellent service to its travellers. Recall NWR written on the steam engines and bogies of the trains that reached their destinations in time. Sometimes a train would reach the station a few minutes before time and it had to wait outside the outer signal before rolling into the platform at the exact time. Both the PIA and the Railways are now overstaffed to the brims. One expects the interim government would introduce radical changes to slash the expenses incurred on its bureaucracies, privatise the loss-making organisations and ease the miseries of the common man.

The lack of accountability of the government departments is simply mind-boggling. For example, the LESCO charges a huge amount per unit of electricity but look at the way its staff distributes the bills. The bills are issued at least a week before the last date for payment but delivered a day before the last date. The bill distribution staff make a roll of five to six bills and throw it over the gate of a certain house, which often happens to me. Then one goes about distributing the bills in the neighbourhood houses. Why can’t the LESCO chief who must be drawing a salary in the hundreds of thousands be taken to task for it? Better yet, privatise LESCO.

Similarly, the Excise and Taxation Dept. did better than the LESCO a few days ago. Along with this writer’s property tax bill, the department’s staff threw over the gate of the house three more bills. Instead of the names of the owners of the properties, only ‘unknown’ was written on them. Who would question the department head? This is how shabbily the taxpaying segment of society is treated about which the top guns in the government care less. If it’s not the case of poor and inefficient service delivery, what else is it? Call it democracy or whatever you will.

Categorise different classes in society. Two stand out distinctly among them: beneficiaries of the system who don’t have to pay backbreaking electricity and gas bills, bear the high cost of fuel since they get a few thousand free electric units and hundreds of litres of free fuel besides free accommodation, luxury vehicles and protocol. On the opposite side are the taxpayers who bear all the burden of the upper class and can rightly be called the beasts of burden. Ah! It reminds me of the prime minister’s lavish dinner of innumerable assorted dishes when millions in the streets subsist with empty bellies.

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