Time to act

INTERESTINGLY, while counselling the country’s different political forces to refrain from indulging in blame game, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, in his first address to the nation Saturday night, accused the preceding dictatorial regime of leaving behind a legacy of total mess in every sphere of life for his government to sort out. It is no doubt true that the problems, which the present government inherited or which were foisted on it by factors beyond its control, are very daunting. They could not possibly have been resolved in the short period it has been in office. The government did take some good decisions like the release of deposed judges from forced detention in their houses, but balked at following through with their reinstatement. On the economic front, the measures have been perfunctory and the unchecked rise in prices suggests that no one is in control of the situation. Besides, the casual manner in which the crises the Prime Minster listed have been treated, indicates that the leadership either does not have the hang of it or is too preoccupied with settling political issues to address them seriously. It is just trying to muddle through, it appears, hoping that something good will automatically come about.
At this moment of crisis when the nation is writhing under the weight of mounting inflation and the threat of extremist forces, with the Bush administration officials vowing to launch military strikes on Pakistani soil to fight them out, the long, unexplained absence of decision-makers from the country and the convening of meetings in Dubai and London where government officials and political leaders are summoned to attend, have become a source of derision for outsiders. For the people of Pakistan, the attitude reflects the leadership’s indifference to their plight. Mr Gilani’s call to the people to have confidence in his government’s ability to tide over their problems is, therefore, not likely to inspire much optimism.