An open letter to Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
If anything goes awry, Raiwind paradox demands that all fingers be pointed in any and all directions, except inwards
The writer serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Research and Security Studies, Islamabad, and holds a master degree in strategic communications from Ithaca College, NY, USA. He tweets @zeesalahuddin
Dear Mr Minister,
On January 21, 2015, five days into the predicament caused by the petrol shortage, you finally tendered an apology, obligated under directives from the prime minister. Shifting blames is a national sport, where the proverbial buck is passed around, ownerless, until the next big catastrophe fades it into a background of inexplicable discrepancies and rampant but forgotten incompetence. This time, however, you have crossed the line. Siphoning the blame on to other state organs will not save you now. Your goodwill capital tank is empty. Your apology is running on empty fumes. And other puns.
Allow me to give you a few examples of what officials do in the so-called civilised world. Portugal’s Miguel Macedo, the interior minister, resigned over a corruption probe in November 2014. America’s Julia Pierson, the first female director of the Secret Service, resigned in the face of criticism in October 2014. Spain’s justice minister resigned over a failed attempt to restrict women’s rights, bowing to pressure from public protests in September 2014. South Korea’s prime minister tendered his resignation after a passenger ferry accident that claimed 300 lives in April 2014. These are just few of the many recent examples.
Do you feel that a mandated, vacant apology is enough to make up for tormenting millions of Pakistanis? In the Lahore High Court on January 22, the counsel for the government reiterated that there had been no petrol crisis. Other members of your administration have also denied the very existence of any crisis, and even gone so far as to label this a conspiracy against the government. This is not unabashed denial. It is disrespect.
On January 20, your comrade, Minister of Commerce, Khurram Dastgir Khan smiled on television, denied the existence of any crisis, and identified panic buying as the real culprit for continued shortage. According to him, the national demand is 12,000 tonnes of fuel daily, and for the last two days, the supply had been increased to 15,600 tonnes. Had this been the case, the streets would be drenched in oil, there would be no serpentine lines at petrol stations, and millions would not feel beleaguered. This is not unabashed denial. It is disrespect.
Minister of Finance, Ishaq Dar, on January 19, casually shifted the blame to Pakistan State Oil, claiming his ministry had no part in the crisis. Mr Dar, who chairs several committees, and took the credit for a ‘historic step’ when (attempting to) eliminate the circular debt in 2013, now has absolutely nothing to do with the situation. The minister, along with you, and everyone else involved, is simply absolved of all blame. Surely, the blame must lie with the public and the private sector. Or Imran Khan. Or perhaps, India? Anywhere but here. This is not unabashed denial. It is disrespect.
The government seems perpetually stuck in the Raiwind paradox. Smooth sailing causes ministers, officials and bureaucrats to clamber over one another to seize the glory. But if anything goes awry, the Raiwind paradox demands that all fingers be pointed in any and all directions, except inwards. We have ministries for planning and development, a ministry for finance, another for commerce, yet another for petroleum, and one for water and power, and a wide range of bodies to help structure and regulate the acute energy sector shortages that plague the country. Yet, with the sheer volume of resources at your disposal, you were unable to predict a pending crisis, mismanaged it, gave false statements to cover your ineptitude and incompetence, and brazenly continue to manage the portfolio.
The committee constituted to probe the issue comprised two individuals: Zahid Muzaffar, the chairman of the OGDCL board of directors, adviser to the prime minister on petroleum, and a close friend of Mr Dar; and Zafar Masud, a member of the OGDCL board of directors. Within 24 hours, the government was absolved, and Ogra was squarely positioned in the crosshairs. Was this probe supposed to be funny? No one is laughing. The sheer depth of state negligence and ineptness, leading to mass public distress is inexcusable. You have disrespected the people of this nation, and categorically disgraced yourself. You should resign, effective immediately, for so singularly and indisputably failing at your job. That is what a responsible government official would do. Not that I am accusing you of being responsible.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2015.
On January 21, 2015, five days into the predicament caused by the petrol shortage, you finally tendered an apology, obligated under directives from the prime minister. Shifting blames is a national sport, where the proverbial buck is passed around, ownerless, until the next big catastrophe fades it into a background of inexplicable discrepancies and rampant but forgotten incompetence. This time, however, you have crossed the line. Siphoning the blame on to other state organs will not save you now. Your goodwill capital tank is empty. Your apology is running on empty fumes. And other puns.
Allow me to give you a few examples of what officials do in the so-called civilised world. Portugal’s Miguel Macedo, the interior minister, resigned over a corruption probe in November 2014. America’s Julia Pierson, the first female director of the Secret Service, resigned in the face of criticism in October 2014. Spain’s justice minister resigned over a failed attempt to restrict women’s rights, bowing to pressure from public protests in September 2014. South Korea’s prime minister tendered his resignation after a passenger ferry accident that claimed 300 lives in April 2014. These are just few of the many recent examples.
Do you feel that a mandated, vacant apology is enough to make up for tormenting millions of Pakistanis? In the Lahore High Court on January 22, the counsel for the government reiterated that there had been no petrol crisis. Other members of your administration have also denied the very existence of any crisis, and even gone so far as to label this a conspiracy against the government. This is not unabashed denial. It is disrespect.
On January 20, your comrade, Minister of Commerce, Khurram Dastgir Khan smiled on television, denied the existence of any crisis, and identified panic buying as the real culprit for continued shortage. According to him, the national demand is 12,000 tonnes of fuel daily, and for the last two days, the supply had been increased to 15,600 tonnes. Had this been the case, the streets would be drenched in oil, there would be no serpentine lines at petrol stations, and millions would not feel beleaguered. This is not unabashed denial. It is disrespect.
Minister of Finance, Ishaq Dar, on January 19, casually shifted the blame to Pakistan State Oil, claiming his ministry had no part in the crisis. Mr Dar, who chairs several committees, and took the credit for a ‘historic step’ when (attempting to) eliminate the circular debt in 2013, now has absolutely nothing to do with the situation. The minister, along with you, and everyone else involved, is simply absolved of all blame. Surely, the blame must lie with the public and the private sector. Or Imran Khan. Or perhaps, India? Anywhere but here. This is not unabashed denial. It is disrespect.
The government seems perpetually stuck in the Raiwind paradox. Smooth sailing causes ministers, officials and bureaucrats to clamber over one another to seize the glory. But if anything goes awry, the Raiwind paradox demands that all fingers be pointed in any and all directions, except inwards. We have ministries for planning and development, a ministry for finance, another for commerce, yet another for petroleum, and one for water and power, and a wide range of bodies to help structure and regulate the acute energy sector shortages that plague the country. Yet, with the sheer volume of resources at your disposal, you were unable to predict a pending crisis, mismanaged it, gave false statements to cover your ineptitude and incompetence, and brazenly continue to manage the portfolio.
The committee constituted to probe the issue comprised two individuals: Zahid Muzaffar, the chairman of the OGDCL board of directors, adviser to the prime minister on petroleum, and a close friend of Mr Dar; and Zafar Masud, a member of the OGDCL board of directors. Within 24 hours, the government was absolved, and Ogra was squarely positioned in the crosshairs. Was this probe supposed to be funny? No one is laughing. The sheer depth of state negligence and ineptness, leading to mass public distress is inexcusable. You have disrespected the people of this nation, and categorically disgraced yourself. You should resign, effective immediately, for so singularly and indisputably failing at your job. That is what a responsible government official would do. Not that I am accusing you of being responsible.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2015.