Need to stay in tune with the fast-moving world

It should be a matter of serious concern to the collective conscience of the nation that even after seventy-seven years of its existence it has been struggling to establish an orderly democratic order. The plight of PTI, the main opposition party, is a sad reflection of how the opposition is treated by the government in power. This is unfortunate but this cycle of stifling the opposition party and mistreating its leadership has become a norm in our country. The quality of discourse and conduct in the parliament reflects adversely on the political leadership and the country. Hardly a day passes when there is some adverse news about the condition or the treatment being meted out to Imran Khan in jail. That aside, many amongst the top leadership of PTI have deserted the party to avoid harassment. Probably, what is being ignored is that the policy of suppressing a party and isolating a leader has repercussions on the overall political system. It weakens democracy, adversely impacts the country's image and standing and above all affects government's efficiency.

The PML-N and PPP leadership have their own challenges. Nawaz Sharif, who served as prime minister three times and formally heads the party prefers to live in London, presumably for having access to better health care. He, however, maintains close liaison with the top leadership of the party and ensures oversight on the affairs of the state. Apparently, his state of health does not allow him to undertake the burden of assuming the Office of the PM. How this unique supervision impacts the overall running of the government and democratic development has yet to be determined.

The PPP too has its unique features of governance. In Sindh, their able and trusted Chief Minister, Murad Ali Shah, has to abide by the guidelines of President Asif Ali Zardari and work in close liaison with Bilawal Bhutto.

Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur is aware of the policies of his incarcerated leader, Imran Khan, but he periodically has to take guidance on important and specific issues from him. He enjoys a good reputation and hopefully would promote efficient governance and seriously address malpractices.

The situation in Balochistan has not changed perceptibly. Due to a small population and large area to govern, oversight is relatively more complex. Nonetheless, it is critical that the government pays special attention to the development of the province and the well-being of its people. The feeling amongst the people of the province that they have been neglected and remained deprived has to be seriously addressed.

Despite the positive steps being taken by federal and provincial governments, corruption remains a challenge at several levels and the leadership will have to address them seriously. Not only does this malpractice discourage investors but also results in a colossal loss of revenue to the state, besides seriously affecting the morale of the people and the reputation of the country.

The economy is in dire straits and heavily dependent on IMF and World Bank and there has been no serious effort by the governments in the past to shed the dependence, except for occasional statements by ministers that lacked substance and meant essentially for improving public relations.

Adding to the country's woes the security situation especially in the border areas remains disturbed, with news of clashes between militants and troops and casualties occurring on both sides coming pretty frequently. Recently, a Pakistan separatist group killed 2 Chinese citizens in bombing near Karachi airport. Such incidents are deliberately planned and executed to shake the confidence of our allies in Pakistan's ability to protect them. But Chinese leadership is well aware of the motives of our common enemies. There is clearly a surge in terrorist incidents in the country as TTP, in concert with other terrorist groups, is stepping up its focus on Pakistan. The prospects of militancy spreading are something that is a cause for concern. But the army is fully equipped and prepared to counter the threat.

Militancy, apart from being dealt with by military action, has to be addressed through political means and economic uplift of the areas. As past experience reminds us, the outcome of the military operation has been mixed at best. For example, in 2014 the army was successful in regaining control of Mir Ali and Miranshah that are significant population centres and effectively clearing all militants from them. But if military operation is not followed up by economic and political development of the area, militancy returns. The militants withdraw in the face of overwhelming force but then gradually return.

All these incidents point toward economic deprivation and the state's basic weakness of the political order. The government must especially focus on areas in KP and Balochistan that are relatively less developed. This is not only to fight the current surge of terrorist activity but also for the well-being of its people that certainly deserve greater attention and support. It is unfortunate that for long these areas have remained neglected. While federal and provincial governments have focused on Balochistan's security challenges, they have neglected economic uplift of the area. More importantly in the process they have thwarted political development and emergence of good leadership. A revised and more active engagement between the federal and provincial government will go a long way in improving the lot of the people.

Moreover, it is imperative that the government is fully equipped to deal with the challenges the state faces. For that the leadership's priorities should be right. Regrettably, this is not the case with the present government, like all the previous governments.

Along with these efforts, there is need to increase the efficiency and competence of the administrative structure. The inertia in the system has to be overcome and the rapid technological changes taking place should be adapted to stay in tune with the fast-moving world. Artificial Intelligence, robotics, quantum computing and other new technologies are transforming the way we work and think. These are presently being overlooked and sidelined by the leadership as we remain preoccupied with endless infighting and wrong priorities.