Stricter conditions
IT is all a bit confusing. Is it its familiarity with Pakistan’s poor track record or some sinister international ‘plot’ that is keeping the IMF from finalising the staff-level agreement with Islamabad for the revival of the stalled loan, despite the government’s implementation of several politically tough ‘prior actions’?
At a rare background briefing arranged for journalists on the current status of the ongoing talks with the IMF, some finance ministry officials vented their frustration at the delay in the disbursement of the stalled ‘lifeline’ tranche of $1.1bn.
They accused the lender of continuously moving the goalposts even on prior actions already agreed to and executed ever since talks between the two sides began remotely last month.
Calling it “maltreatment”, officials compared the situation to 1998 when Pakistan faced the risk of defaulting in the wake of international sanctions following the nuclear tests. Some went on to blame unnamed countries for pushing Pakistan towards an economic meltdown.
The government can blame the IMF or some unfriendly foreign powers for its economic predicament if it wants. But it cannot deny that it is in hot water today due to its misplaced confidence that it could deviate from the IMF programme and turn to ‘friendly’ countries for its dollar requirements to avoid defaulting.
Nearly three months after Finance Minister Ishaq Dar refused to be dictated to by the IMF, these countries also seem to be siding with the lender, providing Pakistan only enough to keep it going until the bailout loan is finalised. With a large credibility gap and trust deficit exacerbated by the ongoing political drama in the country, it is foolish to expect them to step up to help us in a big way without the IMF on board.
The Fund may be showing further strictness on issues such as the exchange rate, interest rate, external financing gap and the permanent debt-servicing surcharge on electricity, but has the government been keeping its promises?
Can it deny that the exchange rate is again being tinkered with? That said, it must be pointed out that some of the new IMF conditions, such as linking interest rates with headline inflation and the imposition of permanent debt surcharge on electricity, seem quite unreasonable.
The Fund must show some elasticity on these conditions to prevent the country’s economic crisis from getting out of hand.
Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2023
Avoidable fuss
THERE is still much uncertainty surrounding the impending elections for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provincial assemblies, even though the Supreme Court’s intent behind initiating suo motu proceedings on the matter appears to have been the exact opposite.
The court has spoken, through a split verdict, to reiterate that elections must be held within a 90-day period, yet it has also blurred the timeline somewhat by making an allowance for a “barest minimum” deviation from the deadline.
Importantly, the verdict has clarified that the announcement of an election date for a dissolved provincial assembly is the constitutional responsibility of the governor of the said province if the dissolution is made by their hand; otherwise, it becomes the president’s prerogative to do so.
It has further stressed that the announcement of an election date must be made “swiftly and without any delay and within the shortest time possible”, and that the Election Commission must “proactively” make itself available for this purpose.
While clarity on the question of whose responsibility it is to announce election dates had been needed after President Arif Alvi made his unilateral announcement, it appears in retrospect that the Supreme Court could perhaps have done without involving itself in this case.
Questions about the composition of the bench originally formed to hear the case, accusations of bias and impropriety, and strong objections from some of the justices nominated to the bench hurt the judiciary during this time of national crisis.
Indeed, the dissenting note from Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Syed Mansoor Ali Shah outlines some pertinent reasons for the court to have allowed the high courts of KP and Punjab, which have both been deliberating similar cases, to settle the issue instead.
The opportunity had presented itself for the chief justice to form a full-court bench and put a firm end to the controversy created by his suo motu notice. It is unfortunate that the opportunity was foregone. Another pertinent question could also have been resolved with the present case: when and under what conditions should an assembly be dissolved?
A well-reasoned answer would have greatly helped reinforce the public’s right to representation, but the matter was, unfortunately, set aside. Be that as it may, it is imperative for the government to now stop trying to delay the elections and enable the Election Commission to proceed with discharging its responsibility.
The Constitution was always quite clear regarding the 90-day deadline to hold elections, whether or not the Supreme Court had intervened. The PDM government seems disturbingly intent on putting off the electoral exercise on some pretext or the other.
After the Supreme Court ruling, its delaying tactics will put it on a collision course with the judiciary. One hopes that we are not being led into a fresh crisis.
Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2023
Polluted coastline
KARACHI’S magnificent coastline is indeed a bounty nature has bestowed upon this megacity. Yet due to official negligence, the city’s marine ecosystem is being destroyed, thanks to the dumping of untreated sewage and solid waste into the waters of the Arabian Sea. Marine pollution has a debilitating impact on the flora and fauna that live off our coast, while also creating major human health hazards. It is out of concern for the marine ecosystem that a number of NGOs petitioned the Sindh High Court in 2017 to highlight the dumping of industrial waste into the sea. The case is still continuing and in the latest hearing on Tuesday, the court asked Sindh’s environment protection agency to verify if raw sewage was being discharged into the sea, and to confirm if the Cantonment Board Clifton had taken steps to stop the contamination of seawater. The petitioners had claimed during the hearing that contamination was continuing at Seaview, a popular beach in the city thronged by thousands.
According to the KWSB’s figures, the city produces 417 MGD of untreated sewage; it is safe to assume that much of this ends up in the sea, while solid waste, including ubiquitous plastic waste, also makes its way into the water through nullahs and drains. The impact this filth has on the marine ecosystem is considerable. According to environmentalists, several creeks and beaches where fish and other aquatic animals could once be caught are now devoid of sea life. Moreover, marine pollution does not stay in one place, and ends up reaching sea life further afield. This can end up contaminating the food chain, as fish end up on our plates. This poisoning of our marine ecosystem must stop. All of Karachi’s wastewater needs to be treated and solid waste should not be allowed to flow into the sea. Or else little will be left of our once bounteous coastline other than turbid, dead waters.
Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2023