KARACHI:
Every leader who even has the remotest of chances to get power portrays himself/herself as the only saviour of the country. They claim that they can fix the country’s problems and keep the economy afloat. They’d rather destroy the country than admit failure and seek help from the opposition to resolve the issues.
The current government came into power claiming that Imran Khan was a total failure and that they were the only option to save the country. A year ago, the PDM government claimed that it will curb inflation and fix the ailing economy. However, soon it became evident that PDM had no clue about fixing the economy. Inflation has risen to unprecedented levels and the country is on the brink of default. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif changed the finance minister giving the impression that Ishaq Dar was the key to all problems of the country. However, Mr Dar also fell flat and could not steer the country out of misery.
People are being crushed by the historic inflation and foreign reserves are at the lowest level. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also issued strict conditions for loans further pressuring the government. Unfortunately, even under these circumstances, Mr. Dar, and Mr. Sharif have failed to acknowledge the gravity of the situation and are pretending that everything is under control. They have worsened the situation by downplaying it. The entire government is focused on avoiding the elections and maligning Imran Khan. I wish they had the wisdom and courage to accept their failure and genuinely reach out to the opposition i.e., PTI to sit together and figure out a way to get the country out of the quagmire.
Raja Shafaatullah
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2023.
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