Misplaced priories

By Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri

Rumours about the fall of the government are galore. Not a single day passes when a
section of the media does not come up with new deadline about the ouster of the
government. These media-led speculations about the government emanate from the
ongoing legal battles in the Supreme Court where the government is in the dock for its
lack of willingness to implement the verdicts of the Apex court especially the one related
to so-called National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). The Opposition is also hiding
behind the smokescreen of judicial battle and waiting for the entire script to play out
there.

The government on its part is contributing no less to this political melodrama by

increasing the chances of confrontation with the Supreme Court over the non-
implementation of its NRO verdict. There appears to be a manifest disconnect between
what the leaders of the government say with regard to the judicial challenges and what
they actually are doing to make sure that the situation reaches a ‘boiling point’.

The government does not seem to have a handle on the issues facing Pakistan and is
clearly bereft of any vision or long-term strategy to cope with them to steer the country
out of its never-ending crises. The opposition political parties are also not playing any
constructive role either to help defuse the explosive situation. They are more interested in
getting into power than contributing to the maturity and evolution of the nascent
democratic order. The entire political class is adrift and unwilling to rise above its petty
interests.

The extent of apathy of political class can be measured from the magnitude of national
crises. There was and is a clear need of forming national consensus to resolve these crises
on a war-footing basis. In the absence of a clear vision, general discontent and
disenchantment with the so-called democracy is on the rise forcing people to rethink their
preference for the oft-tested political brigade. The following is instructive in this regard:

The devastating floods have left behind agonizing tales of death and destruction. More
than 20 million people including a large number of women and children are in acute need
of support from the government. It requires undivided policy focus and long-term
commitment of the political forces to battle with the challenges in the aftermath of the
floods. The rehabilitation and reconstruction phase can be completed to the satisfaction of
the flood victims if the government involves all stakeholders in spelling out a national
vision through consultation and consensus. The rehabilitation phase is a battle for hearts
and minds. If those at the helm of affairs fail to respond to the enormity of the challenge,
they would hit hard at the national unity and cohesion, for the consequences of this
criminal negligence would be too grave to think. Can the reconstruction and
rehabilitation tasks be undertaken while instability holds sway with the government and
opposition dissipating its time and energies on non-issues?
The second major challenge before the political class is the revival of national economy.
The damage done to infrastructure, livestock, agriculture, energy and communication
sectors runs into billions of dollars. The government is having to slash Public Sector
Development Programme (PSDP) to meet the needs of rehabilitation. Our national
economy, which was already hugely impacted by the energy shortages, law and order
situation and global recession, has been crippled due to these unprecedented floods in the
country’s history. Our oversized public sector eats into precious national resources, while
the country’s tax to GDP ratio falls below 10% with very inequitable and limited tax
structure.

Pakistan cannot cope with the economic challenge without bringing about structural
reforms. These reforms are not possible without forming a political consensus on the
fundamentals of economy, which include widening the tax net, raising tax to GDP ratio,
improving agricultural productivity, cutting non-development expenditure, increasing
exports and decreasing imports and fetching international investment. A privileged
political class divided against itself is a major hindrance in the way of revival of
economy.

The third most formidable challenge is that of terrorism and extremism. Despite military
action in the Malakand Division and tribal areas of the country, terrorism does not seem
to go away anywhere. Every now and then we are reminded of its lethality when a suicide
bomber strikes. A sustained anti-terror national effort informed by consensus across the
political divide is the key to fighting this evil menace. Militancy and terrorism thrive in
conditions of political instability and varying approaches to battle it. As long as the issue
of terrorism and extremism is not tackled once and for all, our national economy would
not be able to stand on its feet.

The above-mentioned challenges constitute a daunting national agenda. All political

forces are expected to form consensus and a clear strategy to cope with them. Nothing
should distract their attention at this critical juncture. The signs on the ground seem to
suggest that the misplaced priorities are consuming the national will and focus much to
our detriment. The danger to democracy does not come from outside. Rather it comes
from insides, from the actions and attitude of the political elite. People at large would
safeguard democracy if they also happen to be the beneficiary from this system. As long
as our politicians do not learn this important lesson, democracy would remain vulnerable
in the country.