Theory of everything

This refers to the article ‘Tsunami’ by Dr Farrukh Saleem (October 24). The writer has presented a chronology of decisions and actions of the PTI-led government. These decisions seem to have been based on uncertain rationales and have brought uncertainty to the country and its domestic and foreign stakeholders.

Given that one cannot truly understand the rationale behind a number of decisions of the country’s policy-makers, it would be a good idea to hire researchers – particularly academics in the disciplines of public policy, governance and management sciences – to conduct research on the genealogy of governing practices and their underlying rationalities. This would allow the researchers and the people to understand to what extent, how and why, public manifestos actually shape the decision-making and actions of the cabinet and the ministries. In the present context, in particular, such research projects could provide answers to why uncertainty prevails in the decision-making and actions of PTI officials. Collaborative research projects should be undertaken for different sectors of public policy, which together would provide a holistic picture of the performance of the PTI government.

Salman Ahmad

Birmingham, UK