KARACHI:
The PTI government has been in office for three years now, however, the country is still faced with many problems in addition to previous issues. The hike in petrol prices and subsequent rise in prices of commodities and the ever-increasing unemployment is driving the population to the brink of poverty and starvation. The ongoing Covid pandemic has strained the healthcare system besides harming the education system because many students have dropped out of institutes due to different reasons.
Amid all this, the rise of opposition in the form of the Pakistan Democratic Movement and the re-emergence of the banned TLP has posed yet another challenge for the government. Banned extremist groups have gained much traction in the last three years and caused disruptions in the democratic progress of the country. With all these challenges, the incumbent government must begin prioritising issues to address. There is an urgent need for socio-economic reforms to reduce inflationary pressures and create employment opportunities for the people. Educational reforms must be implemented to draw students towards education because this will benefit the economy in the long term.
Instead of blaming past governments for corruption, the PTI government must implement rigorous policies to address corruption and tax evasion. The prevailing challenges are not new, Pakistan inherited these problems from its birth, and the reality is that no government has ever effectively addressed these issues. In the metaphysical world and in realpolitik, no miracles ever happen. The governments must work with all the dedication and seriousness to make the country prosper. To the contrary, when populist leaders fail to deliver, they make people emotional by chanting the slogan “us” versus “them”. Instead of fuelling religious and separatist sentiments, the government needs to adopt a realistic approach to tackle the ensuing crisis.
Ghazanfar Soomro
Shikarpur
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2021.
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