The brutal impact of coronavirus

Corona took the life of my wife who was my partner for 58 years. It was a monumental loss the pains of which I will suffer until the years that I live. Corona also devoured me and it was only a matter of touch and go that I survived but its brutal assault I am struggling to overcome as I write. Maybe those who have corona suffer in different ways with varied levels of pain and suffering, but for sure, mine was a bad one.

It hit me physically sapping my energy and emotionally it has been even more devastating. But I have struggled since and trying to make a comeback to normal life.

This personal perspective was also meant to draw the dangers of the recklessness of our political leaders in assembling thousands of people in mass public meetings to advance their narrow political agenda and feed their ego. The consequences of these rash policies on the poor masses they are deliberately ignoring. They could easily fall prey to corona as most of them were not wearing a mask and were huddled together jam packed while listening to the leaders.

PM Imran Khan is obviously right that these congregations will facilitate the spread of corona with catastrophic consequences, as hardly any precautions in the form of wearing masks or distancing were being taken by the people in attendance. With the attitude that our people have toward life and free mixing in large gatherings to expect any better results would be unrealistic.

The opposition’s plan of putting maximum pressure on the government to resign on the assumption that the entire elections were rigged is questionable and highly problematic. It is possible that there were cases that need to be revisited and the Election Commission can address those. But launching a major movement and bringing the country to a standstill will be a sure harbinger for chaos with unpredictable consequences.

The underlying contention of the opposition hierarchy that the army leadership is supportive or siding with the government naturally places the armed forces in a difficult situation. The armed forces are supporting the political government in power which is in accordance with the Constitution. They cannot take decisions that are at variance with government orders. And hopefully, the political parties stay away from involving them in their politics. The armed forces, however, would be very concerned with the impeding internal developments. Especially at a time when India has deliberately stepped up firing on the Line of Control (LoC) and creating problems in Afghanistan. India has also increased its anti-Pakistan rhetoric and is trying to put maximum political pressure to divert attention from its brutal policies in Kashmir. With its economy also under severe stress, the government is diverting attention of its people by focusing on anti-Pakistan policies.

The present conflictual relations between the government and the opposition adversely affect governance, and especially the economy which is already in crisis. There are several questions that come to mind. Even if the opposition succeeds to oust the government, which is not that easy, what then should be the expectations from its replacements assuming that things do not go that chaotic that the army has to step in? What has been the record of these opposition parties when they were or are in power? For that matter, the Sindh government’s performance should give a fair idea of the opposition’s capabilities. The record of the PML-N government in Punjab was nothing inspiring even if it may have been marginally better. The irony is that quite a few of the ministers and bureaucrats are the same who were in previous governments but are now with PTI. Expectations from JUI-F about their performance, if in power, should be neither any different. It is possible that it could be worse.

One is not sure if some of our political leaders have a full understanding of the grave consequences the pandemic has brought worldwide and especially its impact on Pakistan. The object is not to berate the political parties but to suggest that it is continuity of the system and allowing the parties to complete their tenure that will be the most appropriate approach toward strengthening political parties and democratic institutions. The impatience demonstrated by political parties in opposition undermines democracy. Unfortunately, this has been our history and clearly has to be resisted.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, for example, has been a leading light that has shown how she prioritised the national agenda to deal with corona and stayed above narrow party politics.

In Pakistan, the emphasis and priority on quality of governance seems lacking. It is important that political parties focus on performance in a broader and deeper sense whilst in power or in opposition. Essentially, this should be the foremost criteria that should determine the preference of the voter. Raising the awareness of the people would require that our people be educated on these issues.

Another troubling aspect is whereas the economy is going through a difficult period it is confrontational politics that is adding additional stress to it. Heavy reliance on the IMF, World Bank and Chinese loans are currently sustaining the economy. All these measures perhaps were unavoidable in the present situation. But there needs to be serious introspection as to how long a country of 220 million people will remain dependent on friendly countries and aid agencies to prop its economy, especially when it rightly takes pride in fielding a highly professional conventional armed forces and is a nuclear power.

The unfortunate aspect is that there is no serious attempt at getting rid of this dependence. In fact, Pakistan’s debt burden has been rising exponentially.

Corona’s impact and other national shortcomings can be effectively overcome if there is enough realisation amongst political leaders of their inherent dangers. It is by developing national consensus and joint effort that we can combat these challenges and take us on the path of recovery.

PS: Wishing my readers a happy and prosperous New Year.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2020.

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