WITH presidential elections, another milestone on the electoral journey has been achieved and after by-elections on March 14 against six vacant seats in the upper house and election of the Senate next month in the wake of retirement of half of strength of the house, the transition process at federal and provincial levels would complete, marking beginning of a new era. No doubt, the main opposition party the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), which includes in its folds the recently elected members of the PTI, has been in a protest mode on the issue of rigging in the general election and denial of its share of reserved seats of women and minorities both in the National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies but it nominated its candidates for all the offices including those of the President, the Prime Minister and Speaker of the National Assembly.
Grievances and their redressal is part and parcel of the democratic process but protests and agitation should not be taken to a stage where these become a threat to the system and hinder the smooth functioning of the Government. No doubt, it is the mandate of the ruling parties at the Centre and the provinces to run affairs of the government but people of Pakistan have also given mandate to the opposition to play its role while remaining within the framework of the Constitution and the law. At the federal level, the opposition SIC is set to have its nominee as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and there are also bright prospects of the party getting a similar role in the Senate after completion of the electoral process. Political tension and confrontation that the country has been witnessing during the last few years cost the nation heavily and there is unanimity of views among patriotic Pakistanis that both the government and the opposition demonstrate maturity, cool down tempers and get to work to deliver as per expectations of the people. There is no denying the fact that the country is passing through a delicate phase and it needs to take well-considered but prompt measures to address the economic malaise. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is work-alcoholic and doing his best to make a difference but the delay in cabinet formation, for whatever reasons, didn’t send a positive signal about the sense of urgency, which is the need of the hour. Talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for completion of the ongoing deal and striking of a new one are about to begin and in view of the fact that every engagement with the lender added to the miseries of the common man, all stakeholders including the opposition should give their input on how to proceed ahead. Similarly, of course, the messages of felicitations that the Prime Minister and the President have received on their election are considered to be customary affairs but their contents do matter. These showed the willingness of the world leaders to engage with the new leadership in Pakistan and it is now up to our decision-makers to translate these good wishes into a tangible action plan to strengthen bilateral relations with countries that matter much for us. Our neighbour, India, and the four-member European trade bloc EFTA including Norway and Switzerland have signed a $100 billion free trade agreement to promote investment and exports. We too have been negotiating free trade agreements with various countries but their impact is not as visible as it should have been. The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has done groundwork to attract investment in a meaningful way now it depends on the new Government to take the process to fruition. Rising inflation, unaffordable electricity and gas tariffs, a multitude of taxes and continued devaluation of rupee are the real concerns of the people of Pakistan and the future of the new setup hinges on a satisfactory strategy to restore shattered trust and confidence of the people. As the country lacks a clear direction on these and other related issues, despondency prevails among people about the very future of the country and as a result one can witness unusual brain-drain. It is the collective responsibility of the parliament to play its due role in addressing the challenges ahead.
