Islamabad, Pakistan: At the completion of one year, the government would spend public money on its projection for releasing advertisements in newspapers and electronic media. As claimed by the government, this year brought economic stability to Pakistan and this stability is so strong that a debt-ridden nation decided to enhance salaries of bureaucrats to 35 percent and over 300 percent increase in salaries of parliamentarians.
This stability is so strong that the nation decided to allow FBR to buy fully loaded 1,100 cars for its employees including some SUVs. One should appreciate the government for bringing such strong economic stability to the country. The common man now is enjoying the economic benefits of actions taken by the government and is ready to pay over 45 to 75 rupees per unit for electricity (slab factor) and he is happy to buy one kg of sugar for 145 rupees. He loves to buy three liters of cooking oil for Rs 1,895 (600 rupees per liter). There is no harm in buying one-liter petrol for rupees 250 because the economic condition of a common man is strong and he can afford this price although the World Bank (As of September 2023) estimated that 95 million people in Pakistan live in poverty, which is almost 40% of the country’s population. This is an increase from 34.2% to 39.4% in just one year. This money could be spent on welfare projects instead of getting personal fame, perhaps their popularity would have increased more and they would have been safe from the curses of the common man.
Moreover, the economic stability is so strong that the country is easily surviving with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 74.3% (As of June 2023). This means that 74.3% of Pakistan’s GDP was used to pay off its debt. Since sustainable economic growth needs capacity building and vocational training of the youth, this promising country has over 26 million children (In 2024) out of school and thanks God the figure is not double of it such as 55 million out of school. Children aged 5–9 are especially vulnerable, with 51% of them never having enrolled in school. We should be happy the figure is just 51 percent and it could have been 81 percent.
Instead of mitigating these social evils, politicians are busy demanding new elections and enhancing their perks and privileges and bureaucrats are demanding bounces, increases in house rent, medical cover, and salaries. Should we have new elections? through elections, will we take Pakistan to a new phase in which instability will not occur although elections have always been controversial in Pakistan. In 2024, we had elections. Problems started from there. Do we want to have another election because the last one was controversial? will new election results would be acceptable for everybody? Can anybody tell me which election in Pakistan was not controversial? Which election was the most controversial? we used to consider the 2008 elections to be very controversial, and the previous elections as well. Let’s have another election. Then what will happen? This demand will open a new Pandora’s Box, and the country is not ready for it right now.
What is needed is to address the public instead of beating the drum for bringing economic stability to the country or demanding new elections. The treasury and the opposition both are busy in securing their interests—the opposition is demanding new elections while the government is claiming that the country is out of danger so let’s double our privileges (salaries of parliamentarians and the bureaucracy). Would it be not sane to address the public that has reasons to believe that this country is of the superclass, by the superclass, and for the superclass?
