Daily Times

It’s been over 15 months since the Dear Leader was imposed upon us in the hope that he would easily change the fate of the country. In these months, the country’s debt has grown by another trillion-and-a-half (more than a hundred billion rupees every month). Those who were stupid enough to believe that he could do the impossible, most of them are now bitterly regretting they voted for PTI. But the truth is the emperor isn’t wearing anything. Yet his minions keep telling him that his clothes are the finest in the land.

And it soon became clear that he would never be able to bring back the supposedly looted two hundred billion dollars stashed abroad by those who preceded him. It is doubtful if there is that much illegally earned Pakistani money in foreign countries. So it was only inevitable that gas and electricity rates would be increased to help the Great Khan maintain his precarious grip on power. On New Year’s day, when petrol prices were again increased, TV channels showed people wringing their hands in despair, some of them on the verge of tears, but I doubt if it had any effect on Kaptaan (assuming that he saw the videos, or read about it in the papers). This makes me wonder why hungry people are not out on the streets; demonstrating against the continuous torture inflicted upon them by the unscrupulous ones who promised them utopia.

I believe it’s the charity of well-to-do Pakistanis, which has saved the country from turmoil. Charitable organisations (like Sailani, Edhi and Chippa) feed thousands, if not millions, of hungry people daily. I have noticed that until recently those being fed were usually very poor, but now you can see plenty of people there who would have preferred to die rather than be seen standing in line for the free meals. I’ve also heard that the downward slide in the economy has considerably reduced the amounts donated to these charitable organizations and hospitals which provide free treatment to the poor. The stupid measures taken by our equally stupid leaders have caused a steep rise in the number of hungry and poor people in the country.

The charity of well-to-do Pakistanis has saved the country from turmoil

And the tragedy is that it wouldn’t have been so very difficult to turn the economy around. We’ve had very efficient finance ministers in the past, like the late Dr Mahbub-ul-Haq (who turned South Korea into an Asian Tiger). His formula was simple: increase taxation by ten per cent every year, while reducing expenses by an equal amount. Instead of following this method, our emperor has increased expenses phenomenally (his cabinet is the largest in recent history), while doing practically nothing to increase revenue (like stopping smuggling and taxing the property and agricultural sectors). And with NAB now having been made practically redundant, we can expect corruption to further increase.

With war clouds hovering over the region, it will become increasingly difficult to balance the books. Oil prices are expected to rise further, adding to the country’s woes. The government should immediately embark upon cost-cutting measures, like curbing fuel consumption by its ministers and bureaucrats. It would be a good idea for it to send some of its ministers home, as they have proved to be highly inefficient and useless. But if that is done, who would tell the Dear Leader that he is the best thing to have happened to Pakistan?

The writer is an engineer, a former visiting lecturer at NED Engineering College