V for victory, H for hunger

Just when all appears to be working out, turns out it really isn't.

This week a delegation of young American entrepreneurs was in town. They signed some important contracts with very important people in the federal government while even more important people stood behind them sporting triumphant smiles. The deals being made relate to the use of digital currencies and other stuff that is too technical to understand for many of us. But we are told these are really significant initiatives that can herald in dividends for the country. Good.

Perhaps even more important is the fact that those inking these deals are connected to the US President's family. And that of his closest advisers. Pakistan's successful wooing of the Trump administration is turning our eastern neighbour green with envy. This is smart politics and smarter diplomacy. Kudos.

This week Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also confirmed that Pakistan was closing in on defence deals that would see precious foreign exchange coming into the country. There's much excitement at the prospects of Pakistani defence industry getting a boost from sales of JF-17 aircraft and other military equipment to countries like Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Libya, Sudan, Iraq and Indonesia. There's even talk of the private sector entering the field of defence production. Awesome.

All this, most agree, is primarily happening because we gave the arrogant and hubris-laden Indians a bloody nose last May. Now countries are lining up to sign mutual defence pacts with us; they are referring to us as the region's net security providers; big powers are assigning us roles in major disputes; and our growth from a perceived failing state to an important middle power nation has been, by all accounts, quite remarkable. Heady stuff indeed.

Oh, by the way, did someone mention growth?

Here's where reality bites where it usually hurts the most. If in doubt, just read the latest Household Integrated Economic Survey 2024-25 (HIES). In a revealing newspaper column, former finance Dr Miftah Ismail and former health minister Dr Zafar Mirza have done a deep dive into the report and explained how, among many other depressing things, Pakistanis are consuming less food than before because of severe affordability issues. This is just one indication of how stagnant economic growth and absence of meaningful reform in Pakistan is impacting people even as we celebrate our country's growing regional and international profile. The contrast could not be starker.

It is this contrast that so frustratingly and infuriatingly — and yes, needlessly - continues to define everything that is wrong with how Pakistan is governed. I say needlessly because it need not be this way — not when so much is going in Pakistan's favour, and when the government is reveling in a sweet spot that few previous governments have had the luxury of. Victory and hunger should not co-exist comfortably in a nuclear armed nation of 250 million citizens. That they do is not just unfortunate, it is a crime.

The true nature of this crime goes beyond governance and policy woes. It is larger than the sum total of stalled exports, dubious mandates and constitutional deviations. Parts of it may be rooted in the lack of clarity among a fairly large segment of the population about how Pakistan should be run. Much of it though boils down to the yawning gap between what decision-makers pretend to do, and what they actually get done. The inner core of the power structure, and the politics that blankets it like parched skin, remains captive to a mindset that refuses to change for the better regardless of who sits atop the pyramid.

Too generic? Perhaps. But who can disagree with the reality that Pakistani society is changing far more rapidly than Pakistani governance institutions. Who can deny the fact that in this age of information and awareness, the gap between what the people of Pakistan expect from their state and what the state can deliver is widening with each passing day. This rising tide of disillusionment may be temporarily halted by rousing military victories and diplomatic successes, but even victors know what matters at the end is the impact on the lives of citizens.

The Household Integrated Economic Survey report provides a depressing answer. Not that we needed much proof. This is why there is fresh clamour for increasing exports to spur stalled economic growth. This belated recognition is birthing initial pangs of panic. Whispers of a change in power circles are a direct outcome of such panic. The present rulers have been in power for nearly two years and yet they struggle to construct a narrative of reform. When so much is going for you, how come so little is being achieved?

This is not a rhetorical question. Yes, economic stability has been achieved; yes, PIA has been privatised; yes... yes beyond this one stalls. Big ticket items? Revolutionary reforms? Massive reduction in expenses? Breakthrough in tax collection? Radical civil service restructuring? It is too late in the day to only now start constituting committees and consultative groups to discuss such agenda items. Two years later, business as usual seems to have trumped the acclaimed desire for change.

The worst this government can do is to confuse military and diplomatic dividends as proof of progress. Some are already falling into this trap. These successes have opened up space for decision-makers to take bold steps for sweeping reforms in order to smash the rotting status quo shackling governance and service delivery.

When things appear to be working out, they should. Is this too much to ask from this government?