Unsustainable initiatives

Since the February elections, the provincial governments, especially those in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have launched or announced numerous initiatives including new funding for free health services and even an air ambulance service. Meanwhile, the federal government’s ‘nazuk morr” does not show any signs of ending in the near future. Debt problems, power crises, PIA privatization, regular fuel-price hikes, fiscal and current account deficits, inflation, and unemployment are a few of the major economic issues that need immediate attention.

The point is that the schemes and packages of the provincial governments and the chaos of the national economy do not seem to be in-sync. What exactly is the point of providing these schemes with funds taken out of the little wealth we have left? These packages are actually unsustainable, unfeasible, and precarious for the economy in the long run.

Faisal Rahman Chadhar

Islamabad