What about the economy?

Whenever a new project is launched, the ruling party never misses a chance to boast about the prosperity it is bringing to the country. The party’s opponents, on the other hand, blame it for hoodwinking people with false promises for votes. Both the parties seem to forget that neither prosperity nor peace can be attained without strong sustainable economy, for which none of them seem to be serious. For example, our ruling elite on the both sides took no serious and concrete steps to preserve forests and build dams, which are essential for water storage and for generation of cheap electricity. Instead, when in power, they go for loans and aid from foreign financial institutions for projects that satisfy their egos and help them keep a grip on power.

Our country has been driven to the brink of disaster in every sense. We now rank amongst the lowest few such as Angola, Sudan, Somalia, and Syria on almost every index, but our rulers seem to be oblivious of the fact that things are not as rosy as they project. They should understand that by constructing motorways, flyovers and underpasses in a few cities and running orange train in Lahore at the cost of health, education and human degradation are not prosperity. The government needs to curtail its expenditure, increase income, and save money for strengthening the economy.

Raja Shafaatullah (Islamabad)