Daily Times

Mian Nawaz Sharif’s return to the base has made his followers happy and his opponents morose. As a politician, he has much to recount in terms of his achievements during the years he was in power. It’s human nature that whatever one possesses is taken for granted. For example, if the Lahore-Islamabad motorway didn’t exist, the chaos on the G T road would have been unimaginable. The motorway, besides affording a comfortable journey, makes the travel time predictable.

Similarly, the motorway from Lahore to Multan drastically reduced the traveling time with added comfort. Then traveling from Turkish charity hospital near Muzafargarh to Dera Ghazi Khan was less of a journey and more of an adventure. Credit for the construction of the last two roads goes to Shahbaz Sharif. But as luck would have it, Usman Buzdar performed the opening ceremony of the road to DGK and put his name on the plaque. Nobody admired Buzz other than Imran Niazi who called him ‘Waseem Akram plus’, much to the latter’s heartburn.

Fortunately, the nation is rid of Imran Niazi and his other ‘pluses’ and the country ushers into another era. If MNS becomes the prime minister, he may not be holding a magic wand to turn the economy around, yet he’s a symbol of progress. Leaders of neighbouring countries, China, Saudi Arabia and Gulf states in particular, repose trust in him and consider him a man of his words. On the contrary, Saudis are averse to Imran Niazi. He was extended the facility to use royal plane on his visit to the US. But it turned into a one-way ticket. The plane facility was withdrawn on his return journey. He might have used unsavoury language against the royalty while aboard the royal plane, which resulted in withdrawing the aircraft. How insulting indeed!

However, Nawaz Sharif’s removal from power was a strategic move orchestrated by the combined effort of two leading organisations. The fabricated case involved two words, Panama and Akama, to make it simple to understand. The ultimate crime Nawaz Sharif ostensibly committed according to court decision was that he did not claim salary from the firm that belonged to his son.

Erecting multi-storey government buildings is no progress when the per capita income is abysmally low and the poverty line is on the rise.

At the time of his ouster on court orders, Nawaz Sharif said, “I have been disqualified on a bizarre charge – not claiming my salary. It’s a predicament – if you receive [money] you are in trouble. And if you don’t, you are still in trouble. Is everyone in this country Sadiq (truthful) and Ameen (trustworthy) except just one person?” Interestingly, the appellation ‘Sadiq and Ameen’ was later bestowed on Imran Niazi by none other than Justice Saqib Nisar, commonly known as Dam Baba. After his retirement he never talked about the so-called dam, meaning the dam be damned.

Since one cannot predict how the politics of the country would take shape in the future but if MNS acquires the eminent position of prime minister, the first move he must make is to drastically reduce the official protocols and pomp and show of the bureaucracy. His second priority must be to cut down the bureaucracy itself. Reducing it will make no difference whatsoever on the governance of the country. With different nomenclature of police force, Dolphins and Elite Force, has the crime rate declined or traffic on the roads improved? No.

Another area that needs urgent attention is the construction of unnecessarily huge government buildings for the bureaucrats and officials of other government departments. These buildings are mostly designed for central air-conditioning when the present state of electricity is no secret. Taxpayers think the idea behind the construction of such buildings is for millions to change hands between the contractors and the supervisory staff. Erecting multi-storey government buildings is no progress when the per capita income is abysmally low and the poverty line is on the rise.

Mian Nawaz Sharif has an instinct ingrained in his personality to develop the country and lead it to progress. As the prime minister he signed 51 agreements and memorandums of understanding with the Chinese President Xi Jinpin valued at $46 billion. The CPEC launched would join Gwadar with Xinjiang Province in western China. The project will benefit both countries immensely.

Speaking at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing recently, PM Kakar said that Pakistan had completed more than 50 projects worth $25 billion under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Under this project, more than $65 billion are pledged for road, rail, and other infrastructure development projects in Pakistan. But whose initiative it was in the first place – Mian Nawaz Sharif. And who created obstacles in the way of the project – Imran Niazi.

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