SPEAKING at a dinner he hosted for his coalition partners, Prime Minister Imran Khan confidently claimed that the next five years also belong to the PTI, adding “whatever the opposition do, we are the only choice”. In a related development, some Federal Ministers, who tried to defend the budget, expressed surprise on what basis the opposition was rejecting the budget when it contained nothing wrong.
The opposition is also demanding resignation of the Prime Minister, which, we think, is not a fair proposition as the ruling party has been mandated to run affairs of the country for five years and it should be allowed to complete the term. There are some moves that might worry the Government as key coalition partners are expressing dissatisfaction over their relationship with the ruling party and there have also been reports of differences among important members of the ruling party/cabinet members. The opposition is claiming that they were allowing the Government to have smooth sailing due to Covid-19 but it is not delivering and that it has become a liability. We, however, firmly believe that the mandate of the parties both at the centre and the provinces be respected in true sense of the word by all and fate of the rulers should be left to the people of Pakistan to decide in the next elections on the basis of their performance and delivery. As for performance of the incumbent Government, it has launched some really good and innovative policies and programmes that were understandably aimed at rectifying ills of the system but their implementation is wanting and their trickle down impact on the masses is not visible. There is an impression that people have been burdened more than the peanut they have so far received in the name of their welfare. This is particularly so these days when people are suffering due to vagaries of the Coronavirus and instead of getting some relief they have been hit hard by petrol bomb, which is surely to make their life more difficult. The budget might not have added to the tax burden on the people but the government has taken more out of the pocket of people of Pakistan by hiking the price of POL products than what it should have through a combination of budgetary proposals.
