LAHORE:
The incumbent government has been unable to conclude matters with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) due to reasons unknown to the public. However, it has announced plans to impose various new taxes and set a target of 170 billion rupees in tax collection within 4 months.
Amid all this, the cabinet has been extended to 85 members. The country is struggling to maintain financial solvency, yet the government is not cutting its expenditures or luxuries. Around the world, governments have between 25 to 30 cabinet members, which is more than enough to run the government. But it seems that Pakistan is an extraordinary case.
On the one hand, the country is at the brink of default and the public is being asked to adopt austerity. But the ruling elite seem to be unwilling to do the same. Instead of facilitating PDM parties by appointing more and more members as advisors, the government should focus on the task at hand, which is steering the country of the economic crisis. Otherwise, it should not expect to be re-elected in the upcoming elections as the disgruntled masses will remember the government’s splendour and disregard for the public when they go to the polls.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 20th, 2023.
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