A sensible step

THE financial crunch is pressing Pakistan too hard for the leadership to leave it to the flow of events to abate, and has compelled it to seek assistance from whatever source possible, including the International Monetary Fund, whose clutches are notoriously debilitating for the recipient country. There is an urgent need to rethink the government's extravagant ways and cut expenditure on fancy, non-development projects. General Ashfaq Kayani's decision to halt the construction work on a new building to house GHQ at Islamabad is a step in the right direction. The situation demands that the Army high command also reviews perks and privileges that have come to be associated with the assignments of military officials.