Austerity, charity and accountability must begin at home!

“I pledge to use your tax money on the development of Pakistan rather than looting it. I urge you all to declare your assets and contribute to the national economy.” — Prime Minister Imran Khan.

That “austerity, charity and accountability should begin at home” is not an ordinary notion but has a powerful message to those who ask people to pay taxes, adhere to the rule of law, refrain from corruption and nepotism but in reality they contradict their own words. Why is a trust deficit still there between the government and the people in terms of reciprocating to repeated appeals by the Prime Minister to pay taxes? Why is there a lukewarm response from the overseas Pakistanis, who were expected to invest in their country of origin under the PTI government? Almost a year has passed since the PTI government came to power with a resolve to change the destiny of Pakistan and transform it into an Islamic welfare state but issues pertaining to the economy, governance and rule of law are as pathetic as they were a year ago. When the Prime Minister laments that only one per cent of the population of 220 million is paying taxes and that one per cent is taking the burden of 99% of the population, it means the credibility gap between the government and the people has widened.

Economy and governance are two major issues which Imran Khan had committed to fix in a short period of time but the reality on the ground is quite bitter. Pakistan’s debt to GDP ratio is 72.1% and the present government despite its claims of breaking the begging bowl has so far borrowed $10 billion from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and China and is all set to avail a $6 billion worth of bailout package from the IMF this month. In the last 10 months, the government has enormously raised the rates of electricity, gas and fuel resulting in sharp rise in the prices of daily commodities as well as public transport fares. The surge in the value of US dollar and other foreign currencies vis-à-vis the rupee in the last 10 months is well known. And the economic growth rate which in 2017-18 was 5.8% has gone below 4% during the financial year 2018-19.

What has went wrong and why has the PTI government miserably failed to put the house in order as far as the economy and governance are concerned? Things have come to a pass where options ranging from anti-government agitation and in-house change are being contemplated by the opposition.

There are three major reasons why the Prime Minister has utterly failed to deliver on his promises of turning around the economy and ensuring good governance. First, if PM Imran calls for conserving resources, adopting austerity, and eradicating the VVIP culture, corruption and nepotism, he should start the process from his very own self instead of asking the people of Pakistan to render sacrifices. Using a special plane for domestic and foreign travel at the state expense are among examples to prove that things have not changed much with this government. If the Prime Minister is asking the people to pay taxes then he must ensure that members of parliament belonging to his party file tax returns regularly, do not default on any bank payments, and have not concealed their property and source(s) of income.

Unless the Prime Minister sets an example of not adopting a lavish lifestyle, others will not follow. If he is mindful of the fact that an overwhelming majority of the people of Pakistan are hand to mouth because of the serious economic crisis, then he should set an example by moving from his Bani Gala mansion of 300 kanals to a lower or lower middle class locality so that he can have a better idea of the socio-economic plight of the people. After all, he talks about Riyasat-e-Madina which means he should be responsible for his people and their wellbeing. If he is enjoying all the perks, privileges and benefits at the expense of the state and then expecting people to render sacrifices, one cannot expect any betterment as far as the economy and governance are concerned.

Second, accountability should also begin at home as the Prime Minister cannot just be selective by targeting key leaders of opposition parties while letting those belonging to his own party to go above the law. Corruption charges against the defence minister and other members of the federal cabinet as well as charges of embezzlement of billions of rupees in the Peshawar metro bus project cannot be just dismissed as mere propaganda. The recent attempt by a state minister to get her sister appointed in NACTA is a blatant misuse of authority. The PM though took a notice of it later.

Third, there is no difference in the mindset of the leadership of the PTI and other political parties. All of them are the product of political patronage, lead a VVIP lifestyle, promote corruption and nepotism, evade taxes and are involved in money laundering. They don’t want to come out of their comfort zones and expect people to launch protest against price hike and bad governance. Those wielding power continue to tread the same path as they know very well that people are in no position to resist or challenge any type of exploitation or injustices.

Imran Khan has failed to come good on the many promises he had made to the people, like nipping the corruption in the bud, bringing the stolen money back from abroad, eradicating bribery, ending misuse of power and resources, and bringing foreign investment into the country! A year has passed and the situation has instead turned worse.

When rulers continue to be indifferent to the plight of the people, anarchy is never too far away. Those in power must realise that.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2019.

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