PRIME MINISTER Imran Khan has said one of the major problems for Pakistan is the lack of long-term planning. Speaking at a public event, Mr Khan lamented that the requirement of holding elections every five years led to planning aimed at winning the next poll. He said this five-year election cycle was a “tragedy” because it was a major hurdle for the government to think many years ahead. He quoted the example of China where leaders could think long term and benefit from continuity of policy.
The prime minister may have diagnosed short-term planning as a critical problem in governance but he is wide off the mark when he blames the election cycle for this problem.
Pakistan has experienced decade-long continuous rule at least thrice in its history. If continuity was the sole criterion for progress, Pakistan would not have been plagued with governance and underdevelopment issues as it is today. The real problem is lack of political stability often germinating from a lack of political legitimacy. These twin menaces have wreaked havoc on Pakistan’s governance structures and continue to create fault lines in new and unique ways.
Mr Khan may idolise the stable continuity of policies in China, but he may want to remind himself that Pakistan is a constitutional democracy and is governed under the overarching umbrella of this consensus document. The tragedy is not that we have a five-year election cycle but that we have been unable to keep up with it. In seven decades if only a handful of governments have been allowed to complete their five-year mandate, then the problem associated with lack of continuity that the prime minister has pointed out lies in the unwillingness of power wielders to let governments complete their five-year cycle.
The prime minister may want to dwell more on factors that inhibit long-term planning in order to get answers that fit more neatly into the constitutional structure of Pakistan. If indeed we want to benefit from continuity and longer-term vision for governance, we need to ensure that elections are held regularly in a free, fair and transparent manner so that stability and legitimacy are embedded in the democratic fabric of our electoral and governance system.
This structure allows for the type of continuity that Mr Khan is referring to. If a government has done well in terms of its performance, citizens can always vote it back in for another five-year term thereby enabling it to carry on with its policies. At the same time, perhaps all major political stakeholders should agree on some basic economic guidelines that can provide continuity even if governments change and bring in new policies. A basic minimum consensus on strategic issues would compensate for the change in policies and ensure continuity to an extent that is required.
Vaccination drive
WITH 500,000 doses of Sinopharm scheduled to arrive soon from China, the moment that Pakistan has been waiting for in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic is here. Now begins the daunting task of administering the vaccine to a vast number of people. The National Command and Operation Centre has unveiled an eight-step process for registration and vaccination. An online portal has been created for people to register themselves, and vaccination centres are being set up across the country, with coordination cells at the provincial and district levels. The government has also secured 17m doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine through Covax, WHO’s vaccine support platform, out of which nearly 7m will be available within the first quarter. As with its prompt response when the pandemic initially made its presence felt in the country, Sindh appears to have hit the ground running. On Friday, it presented a detailed phase-wise plan to inoculate its population, starting with 170,000 front-line health workers. Aside from its share of the Sinopharm vaccine it is to receive from the centre, the Sindh government is also planning to procure vaccines on its own, provided it receives permission from the federal authorities to do so.
The real test of the strategy will of course come when the inoculation drive actually gets underway, which should be very soon. One foreseeable hurdle is that online registration will not be practical for many segments of the population, and will surely need to be supplemented by a door-to-door effort. In a country prone to conspiracy theories, where power and privilege go hand in hand, it is vital that the process be completely transparent so it does not become mired in controversy. Far too much hinges on a successful rollout of the inoculation drive. On Friday in the upper house, some senators expressed fears that ‘elite groups’ such as politicians, generals and judges would be vaccinated first. The minister for parliamentary affairs assured them that priority will be given to high-risk individuals, which include front-line health professionals, the elderly and teachers. The NCOC must continue to provide regular updates on the inoculation drive as well as disaggregated data of the vaccine recipients to instil confidence among the people. An awareness campaign also needs to be rolled out to counter misinformation and reassure a public where too many are prone to suspicions about the side effects of vaccination.
Karachi Test win
PAKISTAN’S seven-wicket win over South Africa in the first Test at Karachi has come as a much-needed boost to the national cricket team’s morale. The win, which arrived inside four days, has lifted the pall of gloom hanging over the Pakistan camp following the dismal New Zealand tour last month. Indeed, there was much to rejoice for the hosts in Karachi, given the odds stacked against them. Starting the two-Test series as underdogs against a competitive Proteas outfit, Babar Azam and his men were fully aware of the consequences of a defeat on home turf. The selectors, too, kept their fingers crossed after having ceded to deafening calls of an overhaul and replacing blundering seniors such as Shan Masood, Haris Sohail and, Mohammad Abbas with uncapped players.
The confidence of the Green Shirts, who began the Test gingerly, grew rapidly and they turned the tables on South Africa. It was a team effort all through. And yet the two players who stood out were comeback guy Fawad Alam and debutant spinner Nauman Ali. Fawad, who has gone from strength to strength since his return to the national ranks after 11 long years, further consolidated his position with yet another century under pressure to follow up his brilliant 100 against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui. Nauman, who had been knocking on the doors of Pakistan cricket for many years, finally got a chance to showcase his talent and made the most of it. Bowling in tandem with Yasir Shah — who also rediscovered his form — Nauman took seven wickets to get his team 1-0 ahead in the series. However, despite the convincing win, the continuous failure of the top order batting and the lacklustre performance of fast bowlers remain a major source of concern. The South Africans will put up a strong show at the second Test in Rawalpindi to try and level the series and the hosts cannot afford to be complacent. Wise selection and a positive mindset may help Pakistan secure the series.
