One would not expect such puerile comments from a politician of Pervez Rasheed’s stature
GILBERT, ARIZONA, USA: The ruling party’s Information Minister Pervez Rasheed poked fun at Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) efforts to tackle the rat menace: “The federal government is dealing with terrorists, but Imran Khan is killing rats”.
Shooting from the hip is common among Pakistani politicians, but one would not expect such puerile comments from a politician of Pervez Rasheed’s stature. The media has been repeatedly reporting in the last couple of years that rats have terrorised the population of K-P; in fact, most recently, an infant was killed by a rat. Moreover, rats have bitten countless K-P citizens, destroyed public property and spread disease.
Despite being in a great position, particularly because of the fall of oil prices, the PML-N government has had a rollercoaster of a ride in the nearly three years in office. If the government can improve its governance and tackle relevant issues of corruption, lack of respect for the rule of law and health, it can find support and respect among citizens. The PML-N is a passive partner of the army in the fight against terrorism, but it can take an active part in many important issues — such as taking on rats — to reduce the suffering of the common people. A serious approach can help the government find public support and survive the remaining days in office rather smoothly.
Abdul Nadir
Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2016.
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