Chord of challenges before new government
TODAY, Pakistan is caught in the crosshairs. On the one hand, it faces a shipwrecked economy, on the other, it faces a crisis of political instability.
On April 11, amid the growing political instability, Pakistan ushered in the establishment of a new government— led by the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif—which is confronted with mega policy challenges.
The government needs to have a remorseful team of professionals— who via astute policy recommendations regarding the short-term and long-term policy resilience— should form a systematic strategy to resolve the following mentioned challenges.
Shipwrecked Economy: The growing challenges that our economy faces today are: Crippling debt, galloping inflation and above all, a feeble currency that have combined to keep growth stagnant for the past three years with little prospect of genuine improvement.
Unfortunately, we have a directionless system of economy in Pakistan. ‘’Radical policy reforms are needed to turn around the economy.
The economy is in a precarious situation because the current account deficit rose sharply and it might touch $21 billion.
’’ Yet alarmingly, inflation is ticking along at over 12 percent, foreign debt is at $130 billion — or 43 percent of GDP — and the rupee has dipped to 185 to the dollar, a decline of nearly a third since Khan took power.
A $6 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package signed by the former PM Imran Khan in 2019 has never been fully implemented because the government reneged on agreements to cut or end subsidies on certain goods and improve revenue and tax collection.
The need to ensure uninterrupted fuel supply for the power sector considering the rising financial needs of the energy sector in the summertime.
‘’Managing inflation beyond monetary tightening is a key challenge for the government to give relief to the people’’.
The most painful fact remains that our upcoming budget (already burdened by a huge foreign debt) has to simultaneously face an alarming budget deficit, current account deficit, and the trade deficit.
The IMF and FATF stipulations have already seduced our economy. Political instability: Arguably, political stability plays a key role in keeping society integrated and in maintaining legitimacy within the state.
It is a prerequisite for the economic development, social integration, and supremacy of law in a state.
The stability of the political system has direct effects on the processes of nation and state-building.
These both require stable political systems for their growth and flourishing. For years, Pakistan has been facing the challenge of managing political stability in Pakistan.
In the current scenario, with the move of PTI’s 123 resignations from the National Assembly, the current government has been plunged into a situation where the parliamentary democracy will have to bear a vacuum in running the parliamentary process in a swift manner.
The mass agitation propped up by the PTI government for calling an early election may also create a challenging situation for the current government.
All the while, the ISPR conference on April 14 must hold policy significance for the new government, as well as the PTI quarters.
Accountability, poor governance: There is a correlation between good governance and accountability.
While accountability has to be transparent, impartial and across the board, it should not be in conflict with fundamental rights.
Security and fear -free environment are necessary to enhance bureaucratic performance. It is true that to meet the FAFT requirement, the government must take some instrumental measures to stop domestic and foreign corruption.
The general impression that the National Accountability Bureau has been used for political instrumentalisation— has badly stained the reputation of the Bureau—as intermittently endorsed by the observations of the Apex Court.
In order to achieve a balance in vertical and horizontal accountability, Pakistan needs to introduce radical reforms based on transparent legal instruments vis-à-vis public accountability process.
A good governance requires consensus between important components that include government as the holder of power, society as a social element and the private sector as a partner of the government.
Nevertheless, all those references filed by the National Accountability Bureau, which lack substantial evidence, must be reprimanded.
Institutionalism: In any state, developed or developing, the worth of institutional harmony is more important.
Given the current situation, Pakistan must address the challenge of inter and intra institutional stability and harmony.
Unfortunately, the foreign powers— who do not wish to see a prosperous and a stable Pakistan—have been using centrifugal methods to destabilize Pakistan vindicated by malicious propaganda against our judiciary and the defence forces.
Protecting institutional stability is the prime objective of our defence forces –this resolve has been reiterated by Pakistan’s Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, after the formation/core commanders meeting on April 12.
In a security-cum-democratic state, Pakistan’s army has a magnified role vis-a-vis national integration, democratic sustainability and institutional stability.
“National security of Pakistan is sacrosanct. Pakistan Army has always stood by the state institutions to guard it and always will, without any compromise,” the ISPR statement said.
Foreign policy: though the current government has received positive cognizance from the global powers, including the US, China, Russia, UK, and the EU, it must nullify the negative impression as ifa foreign conspiracy—was ever hatched regarding the no confidence movement— via a transparent and impartial inquiry.
It is expected that the interim government will work on a six point agenda: Pakistan foreign policy is committed to defending our ideological contours-accompanied by national interests: first, our principled stand on seeking the resolutions on Kashmir and Palestine, second, our uncompromising stance on our national security doctrine entwined with our uncompromising policy of full spectrum nuclear deterrence (FSD), third, promoting and cementing the drives of Muslim unity, fourth, our poised commitment to peace diplomacy with a view to resolving global disputes while strongly rejecting the notion of war. , fifth, resetting our relations with the west, and finally, achieving global support for building a stable Afghanistan both politically and economically.
Electoral reforms: ‘’ Electoral rigging has hampered Pakistan’s democratic development, eroded political stability, and contributed to the breakdown of the rule of law.
These elections yielded unrepresentative parliaments that have rubber-stamped extensive constitutional and political reforms to centralise power with the military and to empower its civilian allies.
Polling procedures are often manipulated; accountability mechanisms for candidates and political parties are seldom employed; and the electoral code of conduct is routinely flouted.
Dysfunctional election tribunals, characterised by corruption and prolonged delays, prove incapable of resolving post-election disputes.
Such internal weaknesses constrain the ECP from overseeing credible elections and an orderly political transition. The use of EVM is the core issue.
—The writer, an independent ‘IR’ researcher-cum-international law analyst based in Pakistan, is member of European Consortium for Political Research Standing Group on IR, Critical Peace & Conflict Studies, also a member of Washington Foreign Law Society and European Society of International Law.
