Sajjad Ahmad Khan<\/p>\n
Small parties in government look frustrated and can hamper the working current setup<\/p>\n
Most of the contours of the budget (fiscal year 2022-23) were already macroscopic because of the groggy and quivery economic conditions of the country. Immediately after the formation of the government, it was so demanding for Shahbaz-and-buddies to unveil a people-friendly-budget with a taste of ownership. Therefore, it would be a bit out of line to upbraid the coalition government for this unwelcome budget. Following the IMF directives, the government had to upsurge the prices of petroleum products and electricity even before the budget, while a proposal for further accretion in the prices of general commodities is under consideration. The budget shortcomings reflect the fact that the government has been caught of guard to come up with a bit of plan for economic resurgence. But when the government is asked about its failure, it passes the buck, fustigating the previous government and the ousted prime minister for his cosmetic policies and clumsy deals with the IMF. It is not possible to save the country going bankrupt without taking careful, aggressive and far-reaching measures. It is a bitter truth that the PML-N led-coalition government is not predisposed to take any unpopular decision and to nudge the economy in the right direction. The government is in a quandary over who to please to ensure its victory in the elections. In such a situation, politicians immediately start looking at the \u2018boots\u2019 and \u2018uniform\u2019 for help. The parties in coalition believe that if an understanding is reached with the establishment, it will enable the government to shotgun PTI\u2019s advancement and may turn the economic wheel in the right direction. But no positive gesture has been received from the establishment so far. The PML (N) and its allies have substantially subordinated the civil services to the ISI to oblige the establishment. But the army is still personally miffed at Nawaz Sharif because of his temperament and past unfriendly attitude. In order to fix the economic system, the government will have to follow the austerity drive in letter and spirit. If the government takes such a drastic step, the interests of the privileged class will be jeopardized, which could create difficulties for the PLN (N) in the forthcoming elections. We know that Pakistan\u2019s economy is fraught with many critical issues. It takes determination, grit and prowess to bring about these changes. Fundamental economic, social and political reforms are inevitable not only for the current government but also for the survival of the country.
\nIn such a state of affairs, presenting the vote of no confidence was tantamount to a political suicide. I think the incumbent government was under the misconception that it would be able to steer the country out of the quagmire of economic malaise. Today, the government of Pakistan is begging the IMF for bailout and to resolve its issue of non-payment. On the face of it, the government has no effective recipe to fend itself against political polarization and economic bankruptcy.
\n Whether it was Imran Khan or Shahbaz Sharief, all made skyward promises, but none of them observed the sanctity of their pledged words. Imran Khan neither went to the office on bicycle nor fulfilled his promise of providing millions of jobs. We also remember Shahbaz Sharif\u2019s vociferation that he would even sell his clothes for the sake of the country. But, in fact, he is taking off the clothes of the poor to meet the stringent demands of the IMF.
\nSmall parties in government look frustrated and can hamper the working current setup. These small parties had given their full support to the then opposition in a resolution of no-confidence vote. Later on, three three major parties divided the ministries among themselves, while coalition partners were lined up. Small political parties are outraged at this, though seemingly silent. These regional political parties had made great strides to make successful the no confidence motion. They were hopeful that as a result of their joint struggle they would be included in the government. But alas, all these parties had to return empty handed. The coalition government style seems to be less democratic. The general impression is that the only source of authority is the former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharief. There is no doubt that Mian Shahbaz Sharif is an intelligent and experienced administrator. But it does not augur well to consult the \u2018London Boy\u2019 in the UK for the trifle.
\nIf the decision-making power is concentrated in one person instead of the real representatives, it is the death of democracy and such a government certainly fails to deliver. Recent international political factors are also affecting Pakistan\u2019s political and economic situation. The international balance of power is faltering in the region and Pakistan is swinging in a two-way motion like a pendulum instead of staying in one place. With the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, Pakistan has lost its significance in the eyes of the Pentagon. Now Pakistan has very few opportunities to lap up dollars. The whole world knows how many dollars we made and how much we spent on combating terrorism. On one occasion, the US President also expressed his anger and said that the US did not get any reward for the amount of dollars provided to Pakistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sajjad Ahmad Khan Small parties in government look frustrated and can hamper the working current setup Most of the contours of the budget (fiscal year 2022-23) were already macroscopic because of the groggy and quivery economic conditions of the country. Immediately after the formation of the government, it was so demanding for Shahbaz-and-buddies to unveil […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[5940,5199,9418],"class_list":{"0":"post-270171","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-reflection","8":"tag-sajjad-ahmad-khan","9":"tag-topsy-turvy"},"yoast_head":"\n