Some things never change

This letter refers to the news report ‘Facts, figures prove Imran govt liable for current economic mess: Ishaq Dar’ (January 28, 2023). Dar is wrong to put all the blame for the current economic mess on Imran Khan’s government. The mismanagement of our economy goes back decades, and was papered over by soft loans from the Americans and others who needed our support in Afghanistan. Loath as we are to admit it, now that the conflict is over, our geo-strategic significance has actually waned.

While the PTI government did not help to make things better and, in several ways, made them worse, the PDM has repeated the worst of those errors. Swapping Miftah for Dar and the latter’s decision to delay the IMF programme have proven to be calamitous. In the end, we have been forced to bow under the IMF’s pressure and will have to suffer more stringent conditions than if we had relented earlier. As usual, the blow will fall hardest on the people. This also does not change, regardless of who is in charge.

SRH Hashmi

Karachi