The circus goes on

As time goes on, one would expect political narratives to evolve and become more nuanced. In Pakistan, we have witnessed the opposite, a regression of such magnitude that it will be difficult to find a way back. We the people still take political parties seriously, despite them having disappointed constantly with their lack of intent and untruths.

Last Wednesday, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto spoke of the economic woes and the deteriorating human condition under Prime Minister Imran Khan’s leadership. The people of Pakistan should know by now that when the PPP have been in power, they have made an irreparable mess of the economy. We can go back to the days of their first leader, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who single-handedly destroyed Pakistan’s economy by nationalizing its industries wantonly. During Bhutto’s term, 3,334 institutions were nationalized in 1972. Nationalized institutions included 1,826 schools, 346 madrassas, and 155 colleges. These nationalization policies broke the economic and educational fabric of Pakistani society.

Let’s fast forward to 2008, when the PPP were in office. From 2008-12, the average GDP growth was 2.9 percent. Other countries in the region during the same period were well above 6 percent. Bilawal Bhutto also spoke about rising inflation, and how his party has always prioritized the importance of keeping inflation low. During the PPP’s last stint at the center, inflation was consistently in double digits for most of its tenure. If we look at the investment-to-GDP ratio, the numbers indicate that there was a significant drop from 23 percent in 2008 to 12.5 percent in 2012. Then we have the historic 18th Amendment brought forward in 2010. The amendment sounds great in theory, much like Mr Bhutto’s disastrous nationalization project, when in fact it is a casserole of contradictions that has hamstrung the economy.

All this twaddle about the PPP being good for the economy is becoming increasingly difficult to digest. Bilawal Bhutto would do well to analyze his party’s economic performance of the past in the event he comes into power. Rather than spouting jaded populist slogans, Bilawal should focus on uplifting the people of rural Sindh living in utter destitution. The PPP’s performance in Sindh alone is enough to suggest that they will bring nothing to the centre except chaos and regression.

The most disheartening aspect of this political fiasco is that Pakistan does not seem to be learning from its mistakes. There are mountains of evidence which reveal that the previous ruling parties are not the answer. It is not that it isn’t abundantly clear that the opposition has only formed an alliance to dislodge the prime minister; it is that the people have chosen to turn a blind eye to this sham. Progressives who talk of the importance of democracy and rule of law should realize that the opposition parties have continually shown that they pay no mind to either. The countless cases of corruption and poor governance should be enough to know that democracy and improving the human condition is not on the opposition’s agenda.

There is no doubt that Imran Khan has made mistakes along the way. His biggest folly is that he has surrounded himself with people who are largely self-serving. Once the prime minister has the opportunity, he should take stock, weed out those who are causing disharmony, and bring in people who are competent and have good intentions.

Many say that good intentions are not enough of a qualification to run a country. Perhaps that is correct. However, I argue that in the context of Pakistan, it is a much needed starting point. Pakistan is in a weak position primarily because of the ill-intentions of its previous ruling elite, which has made moral and financial corruption an acceptable practice in our society. Institutions are riddled with graft and mismanagement, and it will take years to rectify.

Imran Khan argues that Pakistan cannot progress unless corruption is dismantled. He is not wrong. If there is no trust in a country’s leadership, investment opportunities will be scarce. The economy will continue to regress, and the human condition will worsen. During the PPP and PML-N’s tenures, we all heard our privileged citizens in the media talk about the necessity of rooting out corruption. Now that we finally have a prime minister that is seeking to do just that, what is the problem? Why is he being met with cynicism instead of encouragement?

Imran Khan has much thinking to do. He rightly wants to hold people accountable, but he should also focus on his dugout when the time is right, as it will give his cause more credibility. The prime minister has a tough fight ahead of him, but as we all know, nothing gets the better out of Imran Khan than a challenge.

The writer is a veteran journalist, political analyst and author. He can be reached at:

humayun.gauhar786@gmail.com