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Into the Darkness

Before the Coronavirus came, Imran Khan and his team had not
done a very good job of ruling Pakistan.

By Labbaba Jahangir | July 2020

The slogan of ‘Tabdeeli’ (change) was what brought Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) into the spotlight after years of struggle. The people of Pakistan were yearning for change in the political system for quite a while. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, with its new faces and young workers, came as a breath of fresh air for the nation. After 22 years of struggle under the leadership of Imran Khan, it came to power in 2018 with promises of changing the system and removing corruption. An equal rule of law was promised for the rich and poor. But soon after the elections it was realized by the public that despite the banner being new, those working under it were the old, corruption-infested lot. Despite this setback, the Pakistani people showed faith in Imran Khan’s leadership and supported his party.

After two years of PTI’s government, the people are still waiting for change. The rhetoric of the government and the ground facts present two different stories. It would be fair to say that the PTI formed a government in the toughest of times that Pakistan had to face, both internally as well as externally. The national treasury was empty due to the excessive corruption of previous governments. Pakistan was under a debt of billions of dollars. The national institutions had been destroyed by the curse of corruption, incompetent officials and their non-serious and non-professional attitude. There was no rule of law due to precedents set in the past when the rich and powerful could get away with murder while the poor had to pay for petty crimes. With the BJP in government in India, war rhetoric from across the bordr was at its peak. There were false Indian claims like the so-called surgical strike in Balakot and the Feb 27 episode in which an Indian jet was shot down by the PAF.

Today, Pakistan is a part of the world that faces one of the worst pandemics in human history – Covid-19. Th pandemic has taken its toll in the most developed countries like the US, Britain and China. Pakistan too is facing economic and social problems due to Covid-19.

There are still many areas where the government lacks and has not performed according to expectations. Imran Khan’s team is nothing to write home about. No one doubts Imran’s sincerity but most of the people around him are the ones who have already been a part of previous governments, whether PML-N or PPP. The promise of bringing new faces in politics and giving a chance to the middle class has been in vain.

The internal groupings in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf are also a source of worry. The party is internally divided into sub-groups that are in a constant tussle over better ministries and more influence in the PM house. The personal vendettas within the party have not only weakened it but have also shifted the Prime Minister’s focus from state issues to party problems.

The PTI government seems to lack a clear vision or road map of how it wants to achieve its goals and agendas. Is eradicating corruption from Pakistan the only way to economic development? If so, there seems to be no policy formulation on the government’s part to tackle the issue. What other policy options does the government have to bring Pakistan out of the quagmire of loans and poverty? The public is seeking the answers to these questions for the last 2 years but all they get are words of sympathy and hope. Even in the current Covid-19 crisis, there seems to be lack of proper planning on the government’s part. Various small initiatives taken by the government during these times like the Ehsas program, etc. are commendable.

Two years is not a long period to change a social setup that has been exploited by almost every previous government in one way or another. What the public demands is to see at least some solid steps in the direction of change. The PTI government has no doubt initiated some projects that may bring change at the grassroot level but a nation that has been suffering for the past seven decades is bound to become impatient at some point. These are unprecedented times that not just Pakistan but the whole world is facing and the people need to display some patience to get through the crisis. Once it’s over, hopefully in the near future, Imran Khan and his team will have to produce the results they promised initially. If th PTI government does not perform, the future fate of Pakistan appears quite dark.

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The writer has an abiding interest in international relations. She has a Masters degree in the subject from the National Defence University, Islamabad and can be reached at labbaba1808@gmail.com
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