Despair within

There is worldwide recession confined not just to under-developed countries, but also leading economic powers in the developed world, despite their financial reserves and natural resources. Unfortunately for countries like Pakistan under debt, with dwindling revenues and expenditures far exceeding their financial capacity, the paid elite has been leading ostentatious lifestyles. In these times there is no justification for the state to even consider giving a salary increase to paid civil or uniformed employees. The financial wizards in whose hands fate and destiny has placed future of 220 million people cannot justify taking loans from international donors and local banks to waste on non-development expenditure, while they simultaneously plan to cut already insufficient budget allocation on health, education and socio-economic development projects.

Covid-19 has exposed the nonexistent health structure of this country, while the recent unfortunate PIA crash has shown the lack of capacity to handle rescue operations. Pakistan has been quite gracious in the welfare of its paid civil and uniformed, in terms of salaries, pensions, perks and privileges, housing and allotment of subsidized plots, rebates in property taxes and membership of clubs etc. However, the state has shied away from its constitutional obligation to provide subsidized health, education, basic necessities of life and provision of security and justice to most deprived sections of population, living in despair and abject poverty without bare minimum of civic necessities. These subsidized islands of prosperity for those paid to serve and protect people adds to frustration and despair within the people.

Malik Tariq Ali

Lahore