It is all about power

Whilst the media and international observers and commentators present terrorism as the biggest problem we face nationally, the general population of Pakistan thinks differently. Some are quick to condemn surveys that attempt to measure national attitudes, but they do offer a reasonably accurate snapshot. The survey conducted by the International Republican Institute is one such, and top of the list of concerns for the common man was the shortage of electricity. A solid 42 per cent of respondents identified the power crisis as their biggest concern, and given the parlous state of the economy this is, perhaps, not surprising. Industry has been crippled and entire sections of traditional manufacturing have fled abroad. Yet, beyond the reporting of occasional ‘crisis meetings’ at federal and provincial levels and a declaration by the prime minister that the power crisis was to be addressed on ‘a war footing’, there is little to see of a solution to this most pressing of problems.

Terrorism comes low on the list of concerns, with only 10 per cent of the population seeing it as a core issue. This is a reflection of reality in that there is a high level of awareness of terrorist activity because of blanket media coverage, but proportionately a low level of individual experience of it. There is a reality check for inflation, with 21 per cent registering concern, but only one per cent seeing the gas and petrol shortages as the core issue. A mere three per cent had a worry about law and order, along with corruption and poverty scoring the same value. The army gets an expected high score at 89 per cent and the media at a slightly surprising 80 per cent. The political parties and quality of governance mostly scored in the mid to low ranges. There were no surprises but our rulers need to take careful note, because this is how Pakistan is truly perceived by those who are not in power and never will be.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2013.

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