KARACHI:
I have witnessed the creation of Pakistan and the struggle our country has gone through over the past 73 years. Mr Jinnah managed to carve out a separate state for us, against all odds, but we have failed to follow his vision. India never accepted the existence of Pakistan wholeheartedly and did not leave any opportunity to malign us. Unfortunately, we kept providing ample opportunities to our enemy for inflicting damage.
We, instead of working passionately towards strengthen our economy, went on the opposite way. History indicates that our economy has never been truly stable. Our rulers instead of forging unity and strengthening the economy kept on promoting their personal agendas and following their own self-interests. This eventually led to us relying on international lenders. The first government which borrowed money from the IMF did a great disservice to the people and the country. From that point on, our ruling elite, instead of exercising prudence, kept to their royal ways. Every government that came into power followed the path trodden by their successors. With the passage of time, debt piled up to enormous proportions and now we have become slaves to international lending institutions. It seems as if the leaders forgot to fill the gap between the rich and the poor while consolidating their own financial positions.
When reality revealed itself, both the government and the opposition started maligning each other. Now, the PDM member parties are staging rallies to topple the incumbent government while the public is at the mercy of inflation, the raging pandemic, and an unforgiving weather.
Raja Shafaatullah
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, January 6th, 2021.
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