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PM Kakar’s maiden address
I had the privilege of watching caretaker Prime Minister, Anwar ul Haq Kakar’s maiden cabinet address telecast on the national media. Was I impressed by his discourse on the gargantuan predicaments confronting the country today? Was I convinced that he meant business, and what he expected from his cabinet colleagues was the need of the hour?
Yes, I was. I was profoundly impressed by both his eloquence as well as his thorough knowledge of the huge predicaments confronting the country today, particularly on economic front. I must admit, his priorities were very well-defined and he cogently underscored them during his address.
All the issues that Prime Minister Kakar highlighted during his maiden cabinet meeting today, are immensely vital to the interest of crisis-ridden Pakistan. What particularly impressed me was his profound concern vis-à-vis the severely inflation-hit masses of this country. His firm advice to his cabinet colleagues to be austere in all financial matters, as every penny they spend belongs to the diligent tax payers of this country, is indeed worthy of unfeigned appreciation.
Needless to say, the Prime Minister would be able to achieve the goals that he has set for himself, only if his cabinet colleagues follow his advice in letter and spirit. I am confident, they will be in the larger interest of this country and this nation.
Time that the interim government has at its disposal is too short. Maybe, 3 months or at the most 6 months. It simply cannot afford to be complacent. It would need to set the ball rolling forthwith. I wish the incumbent government the best in all its endeavours directed towards fulfillment of the gigantic tasks that it has ahead.
M FAZAL ELAHI
Evolutionary overnance reflections
Throughout history, governance has been an integral part of human societies, driven by the desire for optimal resource utilization. Overtime, the pursuit of effective public management led to the emergence of various notions of good governance, adapted to diverse contexts worldwide. At its core, good governance is a dynamic and pragmatic process that prioritizes public welfare through efficient institutional engagement, fostering sustainable and inclusive social experiences.
The pillars of good governance encompass political stability, responsibility, transparency, accountability, responsiveness and the supremacy of law, aiming to achieve justice, fairness and equality. Collaboration, consensus and optimal resource utilization, combined with efficient public service delivery, form the foundation of this edifice. Recognized as a prerequisite for a nation’s progress and prosperity, countries that successfully embraced the elements of good governance secured a distinguished position in the global community. On the contrary, those struggling with bad governance lagged behind in all aspects of life and regrettably, Pakistan found itself among them.
Pakistan’s journey towards good governance has been impeded by various challenges: authoritarian leadership, frequent military intervention, political polarization, bureaucratic inefficiency, constitutional crisis, entrenched feudalism, apolitical public, institutional clashes, corruption, underperforming judiciary, social stratification, geopolitical vulnerabilities, foreign interventions and strategic rivalries. Among the governance models that have evolved overtime, democracy holds the potential to provide a fertile ground for the elements of good governance to flourish. To nurture this potential, strengthening democratization, accompanied by comprehensive socio-political reforms, becomes vital for Pakistan’s progress.
ZUBAIR BAJOI
Khuzdar
Cricket India’s bias
The Indian government did not allow its cricket team to come to Pakistan to participate in the Asia Cup and insisted on a neutral venue. Taking a conciliatory approach, Pakistan agreed to hold four Asia Cup matches, in which India will not participate in Lahore and the rest in Sri Lanka. In principle, now Pakistan should not go to India to play the World Cup in October.
And it should be flown at a neutral venue but Pakistan did not do that and in the schedule released by the Indian Cricket Board, the match between Pakistan and India has been kept in Ahmedabad which is the stronghold of extremist Hindu Rashtriya Sevak Sangh. In view of the hate campaign going on in India against Muslims and Pakistan, the safety of Pakistani players is a big question mark, interestingly, Indian players have no problem coming to Pakistan. The teams of all the major cricketing countries of the world are coming here without fear and danger, but the bigoted Modi government of India is not ready to send its team to Pakistan because the defeat of India against the strong team of Pakistan will cause mourning there. A special committee was formed on this issue under the leadership of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto, which has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board to contact the ICC to get a security guarantee from India.
However, the final decision will be taken by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who will certainly take into account the Indian attitude. In cricket matches between Pakistan and India, spectators get laughed at and the host country earns crores of rupees. If India is sacrificing sports for its politics, Pakistan should also refrain from sending its players to India without solid security guarantees. ICC will also have to play a positive role in this matter.
AMIN BALOCH
Tunk
Not owning Pakistan
To my humble understanding, “not owning Pakistan ‘’ has been the real problem of this country. Though we make individual efforts, fair or otherwise, to achieve our vested interests, yet we take no collective pain to improve the economic, political, social and cultural interests of more than 249 million people of this country. Hence, such a selfish approach on our part has put our beloved Pakistan on the back burner.
The only remedy available with us to take this country to the heights of glory is to make collective efforts for the resolution of all our collective/common problems by putting collective pressure on those political forces which have reins of power at whatever level, i.e. Federal, provincial, district (through local government system). The sooner we all realise this, the better for the general welfare and prosperity of this nation.
ABDUL SAMAD SAMO
Karachi
Box
Commendable Ambulance Services
I recently called an ambulance service for my neighbour near Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block/4 to Patel Hospital, who suddenly suffered a cardiac issue. I had called ambulance services of SIEHS on 1122. The services were very good. The call center staff was courteous and promptly answered my call. The ambulance arrived within 10 to 12 minutes, while the call centre staff remained on call and provided all the necessary instructions to me on call. Paramedics were well-trained and handled the patient with instant care before dispatching it to the hospital.
ABU BAKAR
Karachi
