Not only Atta!
By Shahid Rizvi
Nawaz Sharif government since its coming in power is facing crises one after another. The problems were so critical that the Government in the Centre and in the Punjab had no option but to threaten to resign. To keep them in power, the President had to agree to curtailment of his powers through annulment of 58(2) B.
The debt problem came up soon and Mian Nawaz Sharif had to appeal to the nation for donations. The government had to appeal to the judiciary to help them to punish the culprits. To streamline and control the system, the Nawaz Sharif government has posed confrontations with the bureaucracy. The defense budget is hanging like a sword on the head of the budget. No decrease in defense budget is possible. Sindh victory in elections has proved choking. The MQM is going to gain from the weakness of Sindh government partners. They are trying their best to get their workers, who have been labeled as criminals, released and cases withdrawn. It will make the law & order situation uncontrollable, which has already gone from bad to worse.
And now comes the flour shortage crisis. Acute shortage of Atta in the whole of the country is felt. Peshawar has become the center of riots and violence on this issue. Interior Sindh too faces the problems. Wheat from Sanghar has been sent to Punjab while Sindh itself was facing the onslaught. Karachi is being hit by the shortage. The price of 10kg bag has shoot up to Rs. 120 and more against rupees 40 to rupees 60 in the recent past. Government is trying to console the public by announcements and assurances that such and such are soon due to the Karachi port with what loads more than sufficient for the national requirements.
The shortage of sugar and ghee is also expected in the near future as sugar mills are closing for one or the other reason. Prices of ghee are increasing, and the government is helpless and bewildered in the market.
It is not known how this Atta crisis erupted and took hold of the country in a few days, who is behind it. The inefficiency of the government is obvious that it could not see the crisis coming and making appropriate policies and taking preventive actions. It is not understandable, how the government with vast network of intelligence and information, could fail and show such a performance. There may be other vested interest – the interest who want to fail the government and the present system. The hidden hands which want to show down from the government.
The government on the other hand is bent upon dismissal and throwing out of employment hundreds of thousands of people from government and autonomous bodies. State bank has recently asked banks to retrench staff by closing unprofitable branches. It is a measure of reducing high expenditure. In the wake of increasing population, more job opportunities are needed and more and more vacancies be created. If a department is closed, staff should be given other jobs. Would it reduce expenses or would it create the imbalance creating more and more crises. Whom this government want to please by these senseless actions.
The budget season is coming. Collection targets are not fulfilled even to a reasonable percentage. Foreign exchange reserves are dwindling fast. Expenses are shooting upwards even in the present establishments. And on the top of it, there is no additional production in agriculture and industry to make any promises to the economy.
Nawaz Sharif government felt the compulsory crunch of the 58(2)B. Why it is not feeling the same way about the economy of the country.
