They conveniently ignored that the issues that these leaders brought up were based on ground realities.
ISLAMABAD: Though it is a fact that people are leading miserable lives under the heavy burden of price hike, absence of power and gas, lack of appropriate educational and health facilities, the leaders of mainstream political parties, the PPP and the PML-N, seem to be in a state of denial regarding these issues. The PTI, which rules in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, demonstrated recently against the high cost of living and unemployment. The chairman of the PTI addressed a huge gathering at Lahore’s Nasir Bagh and his followers chanted slogans against the government. Another leader, Dr Tahirul Qadri, who did not take part in the general elections on the plea that the Election Commission of Pakistan was not an independent entity and was not neutral, also pulled a mammoth crowd in Lahore on December 29 and addressed the people via video link. He spoke about issues of public importance — price hike, load-shedding, corruption and bad governance. The reaction of the government to these protests, however, is beyond comprehension. The ruling party at the centre and in Punjab, instead of devising a fully debated strategy to solve the energy crisis and other problems faced by the people, blames those who raise their voice against its shortcomings. The spokespersons for the Punjab government ridiculed Imran Khan for staging a ‘flop’ protest against price hike, inflation and unemployment, while the federal government spokesperson described Dr Qadri as a liar. They conveniently ignored that the issues that these leaders brought up were based on ground realities.
Moreover, it would not be out of place to mention that while campaigning for the 2013 polls, the chief minister of Punjab levelled serious charges of corruption and bad governance against the PPP. He pledged to recover every single rupee looted and plundered from the national kitty. When the opposition leaders now stress the same issues in their protest rallies, his representatives and spokespersons ironically blame them for doing the same. Understandably, it is easy to deny the obvious but it would still be useful if the prime minister takes a personal interest in this regard and solves these complex issues rather than blaming previous rulers.
Raja Shafaatullah
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2014.
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