Daily Times

Just when 241 million Pakistanis are waiting for a single ray of sunshine to pierce through the aura of doom, the Asian Development Bank becomes the latest to burst the bubble and state the obvious: we are in the instability quagmire for a while.

The latest report called for “greater fiscal discipline, market-determined exchange rate and speedier…reforms in the energy sector” if the state wished to revive economic growth and snap out of its self-permeating cycle of gloom. Echoing what was enunciated by the World Bank three months ago, downside risks to the economic outlook were said to remain exceptionally high as external pressures and rife instability (thanks to election season) continue to bask in the limelight.

Things have come to a point where we manage to repeatedly take a deeper plunge into the barrel, aiming for the worst point possible. Gone are the days when the common man could save pennies here and tighten drawstring there to afford the necessities.

Today, there seems no way out no matter how tight of a ship you are running. Sharper increases in petroleum, electricity and gas tariffs are being demanded by the economic adjustment programme yet a deafening silence follows when asked for a road map to avoid a catastrophic turn of affairs. After some time, there are bound to be millions of Pakistanis, who, having nothing to lose, would have no fear, no hesitation, no morals.

The public reaction cannot be predicted by those who preach us to mend our ways. More importantly, the public reaction would have no effect whatsoever on those who expect ordinary men and women to pay for the crimes of the few. One thing’s certain: the messy economy’s here to stay. But since all political players and the rest of the world wish for us to restart our democratic journey because only elected leaders can steer us out of choppy waters, how about we ask our candidates to start working on the specifics, for a change? They better bring their A-game! *