Daily Times

Completing two months of governance since taking charge of the country, till date all that the PTI government has succeeded in doing is proving her critics right all along. From criticism over the popular PTI U-turns on stated policies, principles, and roadmaps of the party to shallow promises for building a Naya Pakistan without having a concrete plan of action; all have started making sense. Perhaps even to the very passionate PTI voters now. Although reluctant, at present, towards acknowledgement of this prevailing fact, the public is still holding on tightly to the hopes that things will get better with time, eventually. Something we all pray for. But let us face a harsh reality; prayers alone are not what it takes to save the sinking ship!

The ailing picture of governance in the country portrays the government from a position of ambiguity, and confusion, suggesting that it just woke up to the reality that the ship whose sail it aspired to captain for long is actually sinking. The government itself, Prime Minister Khan included, has stated on several occasions that more or less means by moving into the government have we realized how dire the crisis actually is.

The afore stated realization possibly reiterates only two things. Either the promises, and vows made to the public throughout the emotionally extravagant dharnas, and during the entire electoral campaign were false; or team PTI had not done its homework properly before making larger than life promises to the public via its election manifesto, and has moved into the government rather unprepared to take up the grave challenges.

Whatever the case, none seems viable for the country, and would weaken PTI’s political credibility in the longer run, subject to failure over delivering on its promises to the public.

To extend our due support to the new government, even if for the sake of argument we agree that the promises made by PTI during the election campaign were not false or mala fide in their intent, the other part is even scarier! Ill-information on the part of a party that is overwhelmingly in a position to form future government; something that PTI leadership itself has admitted to in recent weeks, raising grave concerns, and serious questions on the party’s electoral manifesto’s practicality.

Alarming to the core it is! Yet the fingers are crossed for a possible way out. Nonetheless, an ill-informed party ending up forming the government was prone to backtrack from its otherwise sweet to the ear promises. Whereas the nation, putting its hopes (this time) in Imran Khan led PTI, voted for the party in wake of the electoral promises, the experts had all along been doubtful of how practical were the steps being vowed. After all, the day’s good end cannot merely be achieved by being optimistic alone, rather requires detailed and concrete working. Precisely what seemed, and yet seems to be the missing piece of puzzle.

Either the promises, and vows made to the public throughout the emotionally extravagant dharnas, and during the entire electoral campaign were false; or team PTI had not done its homework properly before making larger than life promises to the public

To cut short, all that glittered was not gold; ironically! Leaving enough room for mal trends and practices of the past to continually haunt the nation for another term. Let us look at a few moves of the PTI government that possibly, till date, have tilted the balance in favor of her critics, proving them right.

Teaming up to form the government perhaps stands out to start with. In order to form the central, and Punjab governments, along with a strong political position in Karachi, PTI resorted to alliances with the very political entities it used to criticize severely for the conditions prevailing in the country. What remained a part of the problems in the past certainly cannot account for a Naya Pakistan; thus jeopardising the very ultimate vision of PTI.

Moving on, finding itself in the midst of horrendous challenges primarily pertaining to economy, national security, diplomacy, and natural resources, etc. the PTI government apparently has resorted to the past practice of blame-game rather than owning the country with all its problems, and focusing its energies towards their resolution. Blaming the past governments for all the flaws, where might be true to an extent, has been more of a tradition of our politics, since it provides an easy escape for the ruling party from the monster of problems staring the country in the eyes. PTI, unfortunately, has done nothing to abolish this past trend, rather has fallen prey to its shelter. Rest assured, the people did not vote PTI in for being told who is responsible for the problems, rather their resolution. A focus in the right direction will be more helpful for the government.

Going to the IMF for financial relief, despite tall claims of saying no to the IMF, has ignited voters’ anger the most; although it was very much a need. Charge-de-affairs now, the government has itself woken up to the severity of the economic challenges the country, including the previous governments, face(d) off with. PML (N)’s previous regime, including the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who all along remained at the core of PTI’s criticism, now all of a sudden stand justified in the words of current Finance Minister in their move to go for the IMF bailout package. A move that PM Khan and his team of economic advisors had blatantly rejected all along, although the writing on the wall was very clear to read for even a mediocre intellectual. Apparently, only PTI missed out.

Facing a shortage of sufficient finances, the promises of building five (5) Million homes for the poor (with the word “poor” missing now altogether), and creating ten (10) million jobs by the end of their term, also lack credibility, and feasibility, as once stated by the critics.

While two months are not realistically fair to judge a government’s deliverance on its electoral promises, yet they are sufficient enough to portray the government’s backtracking stricken state of governance backed by its ill-information.

The by-elections held thus far have been an interesting exhibition on how closely the voters are watching, and evaluating the government on its vows, and promises. The ruling party has already lost some of the key constituencies it had won over in the general elections. This only means one thing; the public wants PTI government to act; not talk anymore.

Failing to deliver, democracy will find its way in setting the future political course for the country.

The writer is an Islamabad based freelance opinion writer and columnist

Published in Daily Times, October 24^th 2018.