LAHORE:
A country with negligible foreign exchange reserves, unbridled inflation, unemployment, massive liabilities, and debts cannot afford that its paid and elected ruling elite continues with a business-as-usual attitude. The political leadership and stakeholders at the helm were expected to understand the gravity of the crisis and rise above petty political agendas and focus on the economy. The economic crisis that engulfs Pakistan is the accumulative impact of decades of misgovernance, financial indiscipline, conflicts of interest, tax evasion and abuse of power.
Former Prime Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo tried to enforce austerity starting from the top but was summarily dismissed in 1988. Early on, Quaid-e-Azam’s vision of a democratic welfare state was derailed, and the country has gone downhill since then. Not even the dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971, could awaken the elite, nor were any lessons learnt. Pakistan was definitely not created to be a haven for the land mafia, which has destroyed our forests and converted green agricultural pastures into concrete jungles, reducing Pakistan from an agriculture-exporting country to a nation facing acute shortages of wheat, cotton etc.
It is shocking that the ruling elite cannot look beyond their kith and kin or their cronies, ignoring the vast talent of this country, who are more qualified to manage the economy, state enterprises etc. It is not just the flight of capital, but the brain drain which haunts the country’s future. Qualified and talented professionals are being forced to abandon the country, whilst few jobs available are doled out to a select few or fake degree holders.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2023.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
