PRIME Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said he was proud of his government for taking initiatives with regard to saving the future of coming generations instead of pursuing the approach of gaining votes in elections.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the 128-kilometre Lilla-Jhelum dual carriageway, he said the government addressed the challenges of pollution, deforestation, water scarcity and food shortage compared to the previous rulers who had spent extravagantly on roads construction at inflated rates at the cost of public expense.
There is no doubt that some of the initiatives taken by the PTI Government are future-oriented and might help the country in the long run if implemented in letter and spirit.
It is also a fact that the majority of the past governments invested on projects and programmes that had immediate visibility and benefits for the people and this was apparently done to win support of the masses during elections.
As against this, PTI Government deserves credit for removing obstacles and launching projects that were stalled for decades.
Two mega water reservoirs – Diamer-Bhasha and Mohamand – would not only help overcome the emerging water scarcity but also become a source of cheaper electricity.
These projects are crucial for agricultural growth and energy security and the situation would have been quite different today if all viable hydro-electric projects/dams were timely initiated and completed.
Similarly, the initiatives taken by the present Government for preservation and development of forests and environment protection are being appreciated at the global level and these would surely go a long way in realizing the cherished objective of clean and green Pakistan.
It, however, must be borne in mind that mere focus on future generations and that too on the basis of very limited initiatives is not a prudent approach.
Throughout the tenure of the PTI Government, people withstood the onslaught of price-hike, massive increase in taxes, unemployment and lack of attention towards day-to-day problems and developmental needs of the citizens, hoping that their plight would change, at least, during the last two years of the term of the Government but all this proved to be mirage.
The Government seems to be helpless on the front of inflation and now it is quite clear that its own actions are to be blamed for the phenomenon.
People appreciated the decision of the Prime Minister not to increase the rates of POL products for the current fortnight and as the situation started stabilizing he hinted at the possibility of further upward revision in oil prices and that too at a time when, according to reports from across the world, oil markets have dropped for the last three weeks, hit by a strengthening dollar and speculation that President Joe Biden’s Administration might release oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve to cool prices.
The logic that the inflation was coming from abroad is not appealing when the Finance Minister refers to five pre-conditions for signing of fresh deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) including those relating to adjustment in exchange rate, increase in interest rate by SBP (which was already higher), hike in electricity tariff and tax exemptions.
It is understood that fulfilment of all these conditions would further put pressure on the masses, who are already crying hard under rising inflation.
No country can prosper without creation of a quality infrastructure and the Prime Minister himself has, indirectly, acknowledged this when he highlighted benefits of Lilla-Jhelum Road saying it would help promote tourism in the area, boost farm-to-the-market supply of agricultural produce, enhance employment opportunities and strengthen economic development.
We also need abundant energy to meet not just domestic and commercial needs of the people but also that of the industry.
Future of the country is closely linked to industrialization and agricultural development but the existing policies of the Government are impeding the growth in the backdrop of the unstoppable rising cost of doing business.
Human resource development is a key to the process of development and prosperity but income of the people is squeezing on an almost daily basis under inflationary pressure and they are forced to compromise on quality of life including education of their children.
It seems the Government is single-mindedly pursuing the goal of getting IMF aid restored at all costs without realizing its implications for and impact on the masses.
Soul-searching and loud-thinking is required on the part of the policy and decision-makers to put Pakistan on the path of progress but without putting undue burden on the people.
