Talking to media outside Islamabad High Court former President Asif Zardari vowed to launch agitation against the government after Eid. He alleged that the government is initiating multiple cases against him because it is fearful of the protest that PPP is going to start, arguing that economy and NAB cannot go together. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardar has been summoned by NAB for investigation today but he declined to face the investigation on the pretext of other pressing engagements. He had led train march last month from Karachi to Larkana before the Death Anniversary of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
Pakistan cannot afford the politics of confrontation and agitation in view of the security situation inside the country, tension with India on the eastern border, instability and continued war in Afghanistan and mounting tension between Iran and US. Like the earlier train march, PPP agitation will remain confined to the province of Sindh but if other political parties join hands then it can create law and order situation in other provinces as well. Intolerance of JUI (F) leadership towards the PTI government is no longer a secret.
The opposition parties may exploit the precarious economic situation, high prices spiral and the government failure to at least set right the direction for the revival of the economy. The incumbent government has received the current economic mess in legacy which was created by the bad governance and rampant corrupt practices of the previous two governments. But the present government has also not succeeded in providing even a symbolic relief to the people and is pursuing the anti-poor people regressive fiscal policies of the previous governments with more intensity. To meet the conditions in the front loaded loan programme of International Monetary Fund, indirect taxes of Rs.700 billion will be levied in the upcoming budget for the next fiscal year in addition to Rs. 200 billion burden of power sector circular debt on the honest consumers instead of taking stern action against the pilferers and bills defaulters for the recovery of distribution companies’ receivables.
Giving a briefing to the Sub-Committee of Public accounts Committee, Secretary Power Division told on Tuesday that the flow of circular debt will be brought to zero by December 2020. How can this target be achieved is a million dollar question? The PPP and PML-N governments installed the most expensive thermal power generating system that does not operate anywhere in the world and which has made the power sector a sinking ship. Imported fuel cost, indexation of thermal power tariff with the US dollar by NEPRA, electricity theft, bills default and above all payment of 40 percent idle plant capacity charges are the factor that piled up R.1.6 trillion circular debts. It cannot be wiped out merely with tariff hikes slapped on honest consumers and punitive actions against the defaulting domestic consumers and small business houses.
There is communication gap between the people and the government on the worsening economic situation which needs to be bridged before opposition parties exploits it outside the parliament. The people have trust and confidence in the leadership of the Prime Minister Imran Khan and it is time that he starts direct interaction with people and take them into confidence about the extremely bad health of the economy. Hopefully, the leadership of other two mainstream political parties and the parties who shared power with them during previous two governments will show tolerance and refrain from blame-game and politics of confrontation as the menace of terrorism is still there and tension is emerging in the region. The country needs political stability.
