Kakar admiration has promised free and fair elections, but there is widespread anxiety that the polls would be delayed beyond the constitutionally permitted 90 days stipulation. Nevertheless, ambivalence is still hovering over the proposition lest election may not be conducted at all in the near future. Certainly, given emerging challenges in the realm of economy, local and regional politics the legitimacy is needed for an incumbent government that may enjoy a mandate to weed out the impending challenges that have assumed a humongous proportion that is increasingly getting far worst with passing of each day. Consequently, the postponement of elections will intensify the gap between nonprofessionals, laymen and the nascent caretaker’s setup.
The puzzle for the caretaker government is the strategic preferences that they intend to lay out for voters regarding to manage a plethora of problems facing the nation in the post PDM era. What benefit society would expect for such handpicked administration? The problems are increasingly getting beyond proportion. The national currency fell by three rupees against the US dollar in the interbank marketplace on the first day of work of the interim administration, according to traders, as the market responded to what it viewed as increased uncertainty.
A shocking twenty rupees per liter increase in the retail price of gasoline and diesel that would overtly affect the cost of all sorts of transportation. Similarly, a report claims that the Defense Housing Authority in Karachi has increased the property tax arbitrarily by almost a hundred percent, aggravating its residents. During the second time within three years, the DHA is in the practice of increasing these taxes. For a considerable amount of time, a nascent interim structure will govern both the federal government and the provinces.
Ambivalence is still hovering over the proposition lest election may not be conducted at all in the near future.
Senator Reza Rabbani claims that the failure to hold the elections on time, as required by the constitution, will have major ramifications for the federation. Chief Justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) still have time to finish delimitation plainly. This goes against the earlier ECP’s directive. Elections must be held before 90 days, according to a resolution that was unanimously approved by the Senate.
Even as the establishment supports the caretakers’ independent voyage, painful economic reforms have social costs that are unlikely to be controlled. It is believed that any response will worsen the socioeconomic issues already present and worsen the security situation. Others believe that because the main problem of the economy’s democratization is absent, daily happenings are overtaking the caretaker arrangement.
The economy, which continues to be in a perilous position, is of course the most significant obstacle. Without a strong economic recovery, nothing else will happen. It has been predicted that the stand-by consensus with the IMF will be a significant step towards stabilizing the economy. In any event, it should be rooted in a comprehensive domestic economic strategy of structural reforms that can resurrect economic development as it is only a short reprieve. Official targets have been set that are so modest that preventing a default on debt has replaced other economic goals and is even hailed as a success. Even though it is an indication that the nation is in extremely poor and desperate economic problems, being accepted into a Fund program is celebrated as a wonderful success.
A record number of IMF twenty-three programs reflects bad, not strong, economic management. Financial bailouts are undoubtedly required for businesses to remain solvent, but they cannot replace other forms of economic policy. Hyper-borrowing both domestically and internationally hardly qualifies as a benefit for the nation. It is accurate to say that the departing coalition government unveiled an “economic revival plan” based on the establishment of the Special Investment Promotion Council to encourage “fast track” investment by friendly GCC states in struggling state-owned firms and “untapped sectors of the economy.”
To mint money by privatizing state assets, announcements about the sale of government assets and state-owned firms to Gulf states have been made. However, the continuous macroeconomic crisis and turbulence in the country’s economy cannot be separated from expectations of investment in new industries. Furthermore, consistent, and predictable policy and an environment of political stability and security are necessary for foreign investment, whether it comes from Gulf nations or elsewhere. To inspire confidence in investors, it also requires a level working field, openness, and dependable judicial enforcement.
Instead of the kitchen cabinet transforming its members into a rubber stamp, the executive must conduct the choices that have been made by the legislatures. The caretaker administration and the ECP should take seriously an unanimously approved resolution by the Senate requesting that elections be held on schedule in accordance with the Constitution. Failures in the short term cannot diminish constitutional democracy’s importance eventually. To see into the future, we must look to shifting long-term political tendencies. The Constitution is not being abolished or put on hold, nor has a national emergency been declared despite the major difficulties facing the nation. The 1973 Constitution established the preference of the general populace for a legislative structure over a presidential one, despite the fragility of this inclination. The president’s power to dismiss the National Assembly during his will during Zia’s arbitrary rule was overturned by the parliament.
One of the main topics of discussion in society today is hybrid democracy, with a strong national emphasis on how to uphold constitutional and democratic standards in the face of ongoing deviations. And if the administration chosen in free and fair elections is permitted to complete its term by informal those making decisions as well as supporters of politics in the opposition, timely elections may pave the way for stability. A level playing field should be maintained for all political parties running for office.
Public policy pundit and the distribution of power must alter. Each organization should be allowed to offer their opinions, but the elected nascent caretaker government should make the final decisions about policy. And to improve the democratic foundation of the heartland, the leading political parties should encourage and support grassroots democratic system.
The writer is a freelance columnist.