ADDRESSING the police passing out parade in Islamabad on Wednesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke both on issues that are crucial for people of Pakistan and also those that have become a routine for government leaders. He acknowledged that inflation was high and salaries were on the lower side but advised the nation to show some patience till income increases. He also talked about huge loans of the country and lashed out at past political rulers alleging that they chose the path of corruption and have become a symbol of warning for others now.
There can be no two opinions that the country was in dire economic and financial straits and its difficulties are compounded by continuation of the Covid-19. However, the situation appears to be improving with the passage of time as is evident from some of the economic indicators including the current account deficit that was in surplus for the fifth consecutive month during the current financial year. Remittances by Overseas Pakistanis are also on the rise and exports are also picking up due to various measures introduced by the Government. According to Prime Minister’s Advisor on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, industry is now running close to its 100 percent capacity and more importantly the process to expand the industrial base has kick-started which is quite visible by increasing imports of machinery, It is an indication that the country which was two years ago on the mode of de-industrialization is now on its way to industrialization for which the Prime Minister has repeatedly been emphasizing. One may recall that the Prime Minister and his other cabinet colleagues have repeatedly been assuring the nation before and at the beginning of 2020 that the year was going to be a year of relief for the people. This might be true to some extent for some sectors including construction but there was no relief for the common man who is still suffering hugely due to non-stop inflation and lack of economic and employment opportunities. The government kept its eyes closed towards problems and difficulties of the fixed income groups during presentation of budget for the current fiscal year and Secretariat employees have been protesting over non-increase of their salaries and pensions.
The difficulties of the government are genuine but under-privileged segments of the society cannot wait for an unspecified period as meaningful increase in government income is not an achievable goal in the near future. There are no chances of a massive oil find and realization of the goal of industrialization in months and years to come and this should not mean leaving people at the mercy of circumstances. Increase in pay and pension should be priority with the government and further delay in grant of much-needed relief would be unjust. This assumes relevance in the context of policies of the government that are resulting in an increase in cost of living. It is ironic that on the one hand, the authorities are talking about lowering the cost of doing business and getting rid of foreign loans but on the other hand plans are poised to increase the power tariff by 25 to 30% to get stalled IMF loans restored. One fails to understand how the country would be able to make its exports competitive when oil and gas tariff is hiked every now and then besides upward revision in prices of POL products due to unrealistic and unjustified taxation. There are also other contradictions as pointed out by the Advisor on Commerce himself that Pakistan will have to import five million cotton bales worth $1.2 billion to meet the textile export orders but together with import of wheat and sugar this shows dismal performance of the agriculture sector that is considered to be backbone of the country’s economy. As for improvement in the working of the police force, how can you expect them to treat the common man like VIP when salaries are low, working conditions are pathetic, investment on modernization is negligible and the government is not ready to reform the police. What prevents the Federal Government to reform Capital Territory Police and make it a model for provinces to emulate? Give them necessary facilities, ensure non-interference in professional matters and then make them accountable if the force is unable to deliver.
