Voices within decry PML-N’s ‘delusional politics’

Party leaders worry about consequences of harsh measures

LAHORE:

The PML-N is losing the trust of the people with its “delusional” politics and by completely giving into the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) demands, said several party leaders from the Centre and Punjab, who were not granted a position of power.

A PML-N MPA from Punjab on the condition of anonymity maintained that the current government had made lives difficult for even the upper middle class let alone the middle and the lower middle ones.

He added that the false hope that “little period of hardship would be followed by a prosperous future” had no takers, in fact this cockamamie idea infuriated people.

“Successive governments have been selling the same illusion.”

He claimed that some notables in his constituency blamed the IMF, others the bureaucrats and then there were those who held the establishment responsible for the economic woes, which was not completely wrong.

However, he continued that sometimes they also admitted their government’s “poor decision-making” – which was also a “reality”.

“The people are fed up with the ever-increasing taxes, bloated electricity bills and the overall unpredictable inflation.”

The MPA claimed that mere words could not assuage the concerns of his constituents.

“I can feel the growing resentment in people. Our prime minister seems to be unaware of the ground realities. It’s an open secret that our mandate is not widely accepted. However, if our party continues to antagonise the people with its anti-public policies amid all this, our government’s time in power is likely to become turbulent.”

The ruling party’s lawmaker said no amount of justification was enough when monthly bills exceeded a common person’s salary.

He said his party seemed to be fixated on one issue, and that was the PTI.

“Why can’t they [PML-N] move on and focus on service delivery. Increasing taxes and the prices of gas, electricity, water and sanitation is not what qualifies as good governance. If truth be told, this is a very draconian style of governance.”

The lawmaker said that even he as a sitting MPA, who was considered among the privileged people, could feel the heat of his government’s actions.

“At the end of the day, the fault will rest with [PM] Shehbaz Sharif without any ifs and buts and he should know this. Admission of these hardships in the Senate and National Assembly will not be of any use. If our government is in fact aware of the situation, then it should work on reducing electricity prices as a start.”

A PML-N leader and former office-bearer said his party had not implemented any policy to suggest that it was on the right track.

“It appears that [PM] Shehbaz Sharif is being held hostage by the elites in Islamabad.”

The PML-N leader said they had given sacrifices for PM Shehbaz — even spent time in jail — in the hope that the party’s return to power would help change the trajectory of the country towards the right path – one where governance model would be revamped and overhauled.

“[We were expecting that the PML-N would lead the country to] a path where the fundamentals of the economy would be fixed. However, the path it has chosen is a one-way ticket to chaos.”

When asked about the Punjab government, he said the time had gone when “visual stunts” were in vogue.

“The people have matured, they want a meaningful change, not some professionally made TikTok videos.”

He also maintained that the mandate of his government was questionable, and making decisions at the behest of the establishment to appease the IMF was only making matters worse.

“The PML-N is losing even the little support it has.”

Another sitting office-bearer of the PML-N in Punjab defended his party’s leadership saying that it was making difficult decisions under the pressure of the IMF.

Coordinator to PM Rana Ihsan Afzal said the government was fully aware of the impact of the steps it was forced to take.

However, he continued that these measures were part of the conditions set by the IMF for its bailout package.

“Without the IMF agreement, macro-level stability cannot be achieved.