Daily Times

Addressing a press conference recently, the Prime Minister Imran Khan lamented on being barraged with criticism, for the performance of his government at a time, when it is still too early for them. As they are still in the initial phase of reviewing, the various aspects of the governance and making policies that can address various challenges faced by the country. Citing the list of circular debts and foreign loans, his government has inherited from the previous government, he tried to blame the outgoing government, for leaving no option for his government, other than to take the bitter pills of taking certain decisions. Which are, against the will and agenda of his party that claimed to be the initiator of the changes. These changes were supposed to bring prosperity to the people and enhancement of country’s image in the world.

No doubt, the performance evaluation of a newly formed government at this stage is unwise. And no substantial argument in favor or opposition of its performances can be established at this time. When, no major policy steps have been taken by the government.  But it would be too naïve for the government, to expect that the people will keep listening to them, obediently and won’t raise a question. Especially when they find contradictions in what they had committed during their election campaigns, and what they are trying to deliver now.  Shifting blame on to the previous government is not a new tactic as people have always listened to such bhashans (lectures) in the past. They don’t expect to see this government to stage the repeat of a show, they have been watching for years.

To quote circular debts and foreign loans as the main hurdles, desisting PTI government to take the steps which they — prior to coming into power — always expected from the ruling government to take; is a very lame and illogical excuse. These economic problems are not new for the country. If a leading political party, aspiring to rule the country, remained oblivious to these ground realities then the blame goes on to them.  What on earth were they doing these past years, if not preparing themselves to take up these tasks, more intelligently than their opponents?  Without doing the necessary homework, were they expecting to just assume the highest job of the country?  On what basis were they criticising the previous government’s policies, if they were unaware of the causes that had the same determining effects, for policy-making of the PMLN government, as they are for PTI government now?  What serves as an impediment for PTI government now, might have had the same implications for the previous government as well. To absolve itself for a cause and deny the same freedom, to the previous government, is nothing but a sheer reflection, of a negative approach against opponents. Or an old tactic to use blame game to hide their own unpreparedness for the job they are elected for.

What on earth were they doing these past years, if not preparing themselves to take up these tasks, more intelligently than their opponents?

The phenomenon of circular debts had been making headlines since the time of military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf. At the end of his regime in 2008 it stood around Rs.106b.  Within the next ten years, it continued accumulating and at the end of PMLN government on May 31, 2018 it had; touched the figure of Rs. 1,004 billion. During these ten years of PPP and PMLN governments, this monstrous economic issue of the country remained one of the most contentious and mind-boggling subjects for the policy makers, and economists.  If our politicians remained unaware of it— or put it aside as an issue for the ruling party to be worried about — the problem lies with the politicians; whose interest and concerns for the national issues remain low. Especially in comparison to the level of attention they pay to their political rivalries, and attainment of the leading slot of the country.  The criticism being faced by PTI, so soon after assuming the power, is resultant of how they unwittingly treated their rivals, when they were not in power. Not a single national level issue was left untouched, by their mockery and outlandish claims, of the remedies — they made people believe they had — within their reach.

Mr. Asad Umar, the Finance Minister, is on record blaming the outgoing government for raising petroleum prices. When the actual cost of it, as per his assessment; should have to be somewhere around Rs.46 per liter. After assuming power, the Minister is no more critical of the gasoline prices. In fact, the first bombshell the government has dropped on people, is the extraordinary price hike of CNG; that went up by Rs 22. The IMF option, that was once detested and rejected by the PTI, as a curse for the country, is now being considered to be the only option available; to bail out the country from the economic crisis looming large on the horizon. If PTI is now being criticized and ridiculed for doing exactly what their predecessors did, who is to be blamed for it other than themselves? Running a country is not a joke, and making fun of real issues, when you are not at the helm of the affairs is easier, than offering better cures; when you find yourself in the same position.  Now it is PTI’s turn to face all those funny remarks, jokes, and teasers that they used to hurl at others.  They are reaping what they sowed and they have no right to question the trend that they had set in the country no matter how useless, unfortunate, and condemnable it was and is. Learning from others and our mistakes, is always ignored for the sake of short term goals. The resultant sufferings of which are not born by the politicians alone, the whole country suffers for it.  No change is foreseeable in this trend.

Freelance Journalist and Senior Research Fellow, Center for Research and Security Studies

Published in Daily Times, October 12^th 2018.