Zaheer Bhatti
WITH the next general election in Pakistan barely a year away, the political parties in Pakistan ought to be bracing for the ensuing battle and reverting to the electorate on the basis of their performance. But unfortunately, precious time has been lost in inter-party squabbles and un-prioritized use of national resources by the rulers falling dismally short of ameliorating the sufferings of the common man. Instead of forcing a systematic assault on corruption which has been the root cause of mis-governance, the opposition has dissipated its energies in targeting the Prime Minister and his family alone whereas the curse has permeated the entire fabric of the society. Panama Leaks if nothing else presented a piece of information about hundreds of big fish in Pakistan availing the off-shore business licence to siphon off precious capital to stash their ill-gotten wealth and to avoid taxation in a begging-bowl economy, but tainted leadership and the Country’s Judiciary have both failed to take suo motu notice to cleanse the system.Rather than delivering even if in anticipation of the upcoming electoral process, upward revision of Gasoline Tariff which impacts prices across the board and that too four times in a matter of two months raising petrol price by over ten rupees per liter when world oil prices have lowered, besides continually slashing the dividend for national savings on which millions in Pakistan rely for sustenance, rubbishes Government claims of serving the people in addition to a tacit admission that it has failed to raise productivity and manage its finances prudently. While the opposition parties whose real job should be to act as a shadow Government ensuring that the Treasury Benches are kept alert and accountable for the good of the people, and to take credit in the end for having forced the Government to attend to people’s welfare, have been resorting to blackmail and pressure from day-one, not so much as to bring the Government down but to keep it involved in fruitless battles and not letting it perform. There has been a uniform pattern in their attitude and conduct as they have refused to look themselves in the mirror while passing sermons of good governance to the current rulers.The opposition which also has a fragmented mandate in the provinces have failed to realize that in the end it is its own performance in their respective mandated entities which will matter. There has lately been the trend of arranging public meetings by political Parties midstream to show their strength each one claiming to draw mammoth crowds, but looking at most gatherings these are no indicator as each one looks a house full or invariably made to look full by media coverage angles. If any credit is to be given for the gimmick of motivational songs plugged into the speeches of the leaders at these gatherings; not that it would matter, it has to go to Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaaf which every other party is now seen aping in its outings.But people’s memory is neither short nor are they push-overs any longer which has been evidenced in the recent past by the fact that when it comes to a choice through the ballot they have shown the door to those not performing and coming up to their expectations.
The Government on the other hand which only needed to concentrate on reaching healthcare, education and transportation to the common man to clinch the issue, appears to have lost sight of its priorities of public welfare. Having been presented the bounty of CPEC courtesy Peoples Republic of China for which no Government in Pakistan can take credit, it has the opportunity to energize the entire route uniformly for the benefit of all Provinces and remove apprehension of Punjab-centric focus alleged by the opposition.
If however the allegation was only politically motivated, the best course would have been to hold a National debate over the media as every Government ought to have done in the context of building of the Kalabagh Dam which was a matter of life and death for the water and power-starved Pakistan whose future was additionally threatened by the Indian choking of Pakistan’s lifeline. The PML(N) Government having worked for macro-economic stability rather successfully in the eyes of those responsible for global credit ratings and put in place communications-related projects such as roads network and transportation besides what they call Danish Schools and laptops for talented students, are only a miniscule of the outreach actually required. It has fallen woefully short of reaching the fruits of their endeavor to the broad spectrum of the common man.
The Government has not realized that selective provision of facilities in the field of health, education and environment which are at the heart of the bulk of the Pakistani Nation brings more frustration as those who remain ignored see the Metro Bus and Orange line Railway facility in selective towns as discriminatory and adding further to their deprivation. In the sphere of education, the Government has similarly not been able to fashion a uniform schooling system with a standard curriculum throughout the Country and like its predecessors has succumbed to widening the gap by allowing the English medium schools to thrive and widen the gap between the privileged and dominant majority without essential facility of education.
Whereas the Government ought to have offered free education to all up to at least matriculation, those who are able to pay and go to some school are forced to study without a roof, teachers or furniture. What discriminated generations are we churning out! As for health also, successive Governments failing to upgrade existing hospitals and adding more countrywide, have left the public to be devoured by private facilities allowed to mint money from those who can afford while the majority languishes on pavements of hospitals, short of beds and the doctors and nurses striking at will. This happens in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan which is supposed to be a welfare State.
But even if all this was to be brushed under the carpet, four cardinal requirements are imminent in order to bring about a genuine peoples representation to govern this Country i.e. empowerment of Local Bodies, carrying out a meticulous National Census making sure that refugees and illegal immigrants are kept out, preparation of error-free Electoral Rolls and equitable delimitation of constituencies and thorough scrutiny of candidates by the Election Commission. Without this, it will be another sham exercise.
