Moment of truth

THERE is no marked difference between military regimes and democratic governments when it comes to taking crucial decisions on dictations from the world powers. It is however for the first time that an elected PM has conceded that his government took some difficult and "undemocratic" decisions like the withdrawal of subsidies and passed the burden on to consumers due to international pressure. There is no disputing the fact that democratic leaderships have to take unpopular decisions at times but then Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani would have a few takers for his claim that his government agreed to the removal of subsidies only because economic stability was its top priority. Mr Gilani who was in Karachi on Saturday to attend an iftar-diner hosted by Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad had earlier had a meeting with the representatives of the business community. But he might not have been able to satisfy their curiosity on how economy could be galvanized amid the rising cost of energy and other inputs. The PM deftly directed them to the finance and commerce ministers to have their genuine concerns addressed.