It’s a pity, surely, that the government is not facilitating a private initiative to set up public toilets, most of them free of cost, across the country. It is unbelievable, really, that a country of 200 million has only about 800 public toilets, half of which at the very least are non-functional. A private initiative by the name of Saaf Baath is now apparently lobbying the government for NOCs in all provinces to set up portable public toilets, only to be charged in select areas considering the footfall, but is falling short of the kind of reception it thought it would get; not the least considering the government’s own inability to provide such a basic thing as public toilets. It turns out that PPP-ruled Sindh, a provincial government the prime minister never fails to castigate, has been the only one taking this issue seriously so far. In other provinces, where PTI rules either directly or by proxy, there are apparently more important matters for respective governments to consider than people’s toilet needs, even though it falls upon the government to provide all such necessary things. Needless to say, of course, that toilets are just one among many, many provisions that the government must ensure but doesn’t, or can’t; either way it cannot be absolved of its responsibility. PTI has, since the beginning of its rule, betrayed a sense of surprise and shock at the state of affairs that it inherited. And while its lament is understood, in that it did indeed take over a rather broken down system, it’s still not as if it was fighting the national election of another country. If the press and many commentators understood just how bad things were, how could the party claiming to provide the only way out of the mess not see it? There is an urgent need on the part of the ruling party to take measures to provide all sorts of relief to the common man. One reason masses rallied towards PTI was Imran’s pro-poor agenda. Sadly, since he’s come to power the common man’s problems have only increased. The government must revisit its core fundamentals, and make sure the people are able to see and feel the steps it takes to address their needs. And, more importantly, since it is so hamstrung, it must facilitate all private efforts like Saaf Baath in any way that it can. *