Saeed Akhtar argues that the government is using "accountability" narrative to hide its inability to fix the mess that the country's economy is in.
It has been almost a year since Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came into power, but the team PM Imran Khan initially formed was changed before the government presented its first budget. Finance Minister Asad Umar was also removed from his post before he could present the budget. The PTI government presented the budget on 11 June and prior to the budget session, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former president Asif Ali Zardari.
His arrest was a message to the opposition about the tough stance of the government. The budget documents indicate that difficult times are ahead for the people in general. The business community is not happy either, because the government has taken no measures to address some of the genuine demands of the community.
Opposition political parties are ghettoed, and the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly is not allowed by the treasury benches to start a debate on the budget. Treasury benches, maybe for the first time in the history of our democracy, don’t seem willing to run the affairs of the Parliament.
The strategy of the government is to divert the attention of the people from its poor performance. But it is failing. And this is causing apprehension among the business community and no one seems willing to invest in the country amid the political instability. Foreign investment is declining.
The governance has fallen victim to brouhaha in the assembly and people are now speculating that the government might not be able to complete its term.
The PTI government is now on the low side of the road. But the leadership has advised its legislators to counter the allegations of incompetence by not missing any chance to bully the opposition in the Parliament. The government does not seem to know the consequences this approach might have for its own future.
The opposition is keeping the government on its toes and the latter seems nervous. The government’s image before the international community has also become a cause for concern because international commentators do not have anything positive to say about PM Imran Khan.
It has been almost a year since Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came into power, but the team PM Imran Khan initially formed was changed before the government presented its first budget. Finance Minister Asad Umar was also removed from his post before he could present the budget. The PTI government presented the budget on 11 June and prior to the budget session, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former president Asif Ali Zardari.
His arrest was a message to the opposition about the tough stance of the government. The budget documents indicate that difficult times are ahead for the people in general. The business community is not happy either, because the government has taken no measures to address some of the genuine demands of the community.
Opposition political parties are ghettoed, and the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly is not allowed by the treasury benches to start a debate on the budget. Treasury benches, maybe for the first time in the history of our democracy, don’t seem willing to run the affairs of the Parliament.
The strategy of the government is to divert the attention of the people from its poor performance. But it is failing. And this is causing apprehension among the business community and no one seems willing to invest in the country amid the political instability. Foreign investment is declining.
The governance has fallen victim to brouhaha in the assembly and people are now speculating that the government might not be able to complete its term.
The PTI government is now on the low side of the road. But the leadership has advised its legislators to counter the allegations of incompetence by not missing any chance to bully the opposition in the Parliament. The government does not seem to know the consequences this approach might have for its own future.
The opposition is keeping the government on its toes and the latter seems nervous. The government’s image before the international community has also become a cause for concern because international commentators do not have anything positive to say about PM Imran Khan.