Winds of change

While talking to the country’s ambassadors serving abroad, the prime minister looked visibly upset. The reasons for the PM’s anger are quite obvious – ordinary people are not happy with the government’s performance because of a rampant increase in the prices of essential commodities; there are some divisions within the ruling party; the opposition parties are standing firm on their resolve to fight against the ruling party; and the accusations of corruption against political leaders are no more effective. That the opposition parties won a majority of the recently held by-elections has highlighted that the winds of change are blowing through the country. The finance minister’s recent statement regarding the IMF deal should be a wake-up call for our ruling elite who are responsible for recovering the economy. The European parliament, too, is going to review the country’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) status. If the European parliament decides to end Pakistan’s eligibility for the GSP status, it will be a shattering blow to the country’s international image. All these factors resulted in the PM’s recent outburst in front of the ambassadors.

Malik ul Quddoos

Karachi