Daily Times

It seems a feeling of unhappiness with the federal government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak is no longer restricted to opposition parties and media commentators. And the fact that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmad has also expressed severe displeasure over the PTI government’s handling of the pandemic ought to trigger a serious reset in Islamabad; and not one limited to shuffling bigwigs in different ministries. Unfortunately the government remains non-committal about some of the most basic responses even as they are adopted all over the world. It is still difficult to understand, for example, just why the prime minister keeps speaking against a lockdown even though all provinces, including Punjab where nothing allegedly happens without his own permission, have enforced it already.

“The government is just calling in meetings whereas no work is being done on the ground,” the CJP rightly observed. Perhaps now somebody in the government will realise that it takes more than fancy speeches to get things done where it matters. The CJP was also quite unhappy about hospitals and hospital wings shutting down in the capital. A government that advocates keeping things running, especially so the weakest groups can stay employed and keep earning, should also appreciate the inherent risks in executing such policies. Since there is obviously the increased risk of the virus spreading as more and more people go out to work, all hospitals must remain open.

There is also something to be said about opening up the economy. It is true that the economy will have to work in some limited way since it just doesn’t have the capacity to endure a blanket shutdown. But jumping headlong into half-baked decisions is hardly the right thing to do. Stimulating certain important sectors is important, but shouldn’t incentives that will allow all sorts of black money to flood into the economy be preceded by detailed plans to manage operations in all associated industries? Good intentions, including watching out for the lesser privileged, are worth precious little if the result is more pain and misery for everybody. Besides, it is not what leaders intend to do but rather what they really do that matters for everybody else. The government must understand that its inability to move when it really matters is now beginning to raise red flags in the most sensitive places. It must review its response to the coronavirus crisis and make sure whatever steps it takes end up benefiting, not just restricting or harming, the people. *