Unenviable tasks

The previous regime has left behind two seemingly impossible challenges for the new coalition government: a botched-up economy and a damaged foreign policy. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif seems to be well aware of this, highlighting these two issues during a talk with journalists on Tuesday. Given how the IMF has suggested “prompt action" to reverse the unfunded subsidies given by the previous government, the economy in particular requires deft handling. Doing away with subsidies translates into an increase in the prices of petroleum products and electricity. Combine that with the ongoing power loadshedding and the government is already looking at an unhappy public and a catch-22 situation as far as solutions go. PM Shehbaz will have to take some unpopular decisions, but we hope he remains committed to giving targeted subsidies to lower-income groups.

Pakistan's place in the global community too needs a reset. The PM is thus off to Saudi Arabia today. The bilateral interaction is set to focus on economic, trade and investment ties -- and all eyes are on how much the Pakistani delegation manages to bring back with it from the kingdom. Pakistan's foreign policy challenges had already reached a red line with Imran Khan's 'letter' conspiracy, effectively accusing the US of plotting to overthrow a sitting government. They have now been compounded by the rising security threat, as seen in Tuesday's attack in Karachi targeting Chinese nationals. With Bilawal Bhutto Zardari officially assuming the role of the foreign minister of Pakistan, assisted by the experienced and able Hina Rabbani Khar, the first order of priority must be to mend broken relationships, placate the Chinese, and steer clear of joining one or the other 'bloc' in the new cold war. These are unenviable tasks for the PM and his foreign minister, whose first step after taking oath was to visit the Chinese embassy in Islamabad. The lettergate controversy has made relations with the US, already on rocky grounds, even tougher to handle. PM Shehbaz has told journalists that he is aware of the US's status as a superpower, one Pakistan just cannot afford enmity with. How the government manages this, with the conspiracy sword hanging over its head, will need skillful diplomatic and domestic policy.

The government has been saying that it will call elections once electoral reforms are done and an economic outlook is set up, so naturally it does not have the luxury of a five-year term. Some of the tasks ahead seem near-impossible to fix in the short term, though policy interventions can help get things back on track. However, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif can focus on some issues that are easily fixed, one of which is ensuring a free press. While PM Shehbaz reiterated his government's stance on media freedom during his interaction with journalists, he did not specify what the government plans to do regarding the Peca law. The PTI government had used ‘fake news’ as the excuse to peg the Peca amendment, and we hope the current government realizes that while hate speech and incitement to violence should always be checked, laws like Peca are certainly not the answer.