While people at large are keen to see visible and perceivable change in their lives, the government is quite attentive and alert about producing positive outcomes, a senior official told The News, wishing not to be named.
He said that instead of handing over the formulation of reforms to anyone else, the prime minister himself had taken charge of the job. “Nawaz Sharif has sought input from different ministers and a small set of close and credible aides and bureaucrats, who have knack to make some contribution.”
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan is agitating with full force since August 14, making different demands and hurling allegations on his political rivals specifically the prime minister. Although he has been calling for several things on immediate basis, he has not come out with substantive plans how to implement his assertions. He is more concerned with the job - oppose everything and suggest nothing - of the opposition.
The official said that the prime minister realised the urgency of reforms, which made a difference in the lives of the common man. “People want instant relief and are in no mood to wait for a long time. But there can be no quick fixes given the complex economic situation Pakistan faces when it has to constantly borrow to make repayments of debt that has accumulated manifold over the years.”
He said that the falling international oil prices, which enabled the government to lower POL rates, had provided it with a good breathing spell to hurry up the reforms. It is obvious that a significant cut in oil prices has brought a massive relief to the people.
However, the official said that since many subjects fell in the domain of provincial governments after the 18th Constitutional Amendment, these administrations also had to initiate reforms to produce a cumulative effect for the ordinary man. As far as the federal government is concerned, he said, it would bring in short-term reforms very shortly while the long-term changes would need some time.
Apart from the federal ministers having ideas, the official said, the prime minister had also sought suggestions from different people, who were not essentially members of the government. “Any idea from any person having interaction with Nawaz Sharif is welcomed.”
However, he pointed out that the focus of the government was and would remain on initiating mega projects and ensuring their conclusion in the shortest possible time. The prime minister is personally monitoring the progress so that no extra time is spent on their completion, he said.
The official said that the premier was confident that as the major projects relating to infrastructure, energy, etc, would start closing, their benefits would begin coming for the common man.
“If one looks at the meetings that the prime minister is holding every day, one would come to know that most of them pertain to the ongoing mega projects or undertaking the new ones,” he said. “Never ever during his previous two stints as premier did Nawaz Sharif devote so much time to the official work that he is doing now since he assumed office.”
Apart from several highly negative and disastrous impacts of Imran Khan’s sit-in in different contexts and the language he is using, its positive aspect is that the protest has kept the government on its toes to deliver and deliver very fast otherwise it would suffer a massive damage.
A strong opposition is always a boon in countries like Pakistan to keep the governments under pressure to shun slumber, but when it resorts to destructive politics it becomes a bane, hurting the nation and social and political values and norms beyond retrieval.
Since the sit-in poses an important political challenge to the Nawaz Sharif government, it is watchful and alert. However, the protest has not forced any change in its agenda. Most of the mega projects it has undertaken were started or planned even before this protest was launched.
The government is taking steps to see that these projects begin producing results. Among them, most important are those related to power production. The government is also vigilant to revise power rates upward fearing highly negative public reaction.
0 comments:
Post a Comment