Daily Times

There appears a great deal of damaging confusion in the government’s ranks.

Throughout Friday, the consumers did not seem to have even a remote clue over whether to buy the rampant fervour on social media over a drastic drop in the prices of petroleum products or to listen to more realistic albeit private contradictions by the ministries of finance and energy.

In his earnestness to deliver feel-good news, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif forgot to read the room before announcing a “big relief” to his people. Or, perhaps, to read between the lines, a haphazard explanation given by the PMO staff about a mistaken repeat of the May 15 decision, which had cut the prices in accordance with the trending figures warrants a greater explanation.

Why is it that the topmost office of the country does not sense the need to cross its t’s and dot its i’s before hopping aboard the hype-generating bandwagon? The lack of clarity and transparency in the decision-making processes provides ample ground for the stakeholders to sense the frustration and establish a one-page approach to governance.

The fuel fiasco raised a series of unnecessary questions about the competence and communication within the government machinery; something media warriors of the opposition giddily exploited as manna from heaven.

Since the very beginning of its inning, the incumbent government has failed to put its best foot forward. Call it an unwanted consequence of an extremely versatile, jack-of-all-trades premier or some nefarious agenda, dropping stumbling blocks here and there to blackmark his tenure, Mr Sharif has had to repeatedly face unpleasantries.

Between bugged offices, revoked appointment notifications and haste to broadcast developments without due diligence, a lot requires heavy improvement in his housekeeping. Moving forward, it would do well for both the executive as well as its supporters in the leading party to ensure correct, reliable and trustworthy information emanated from the official handles. Careless blunders do not befit an administration trying hard to leave behind an impression. *