by Arifa Noor in Dawn, Oct 11th, 2022
The writer is a journalist
…….every conversation these days is either about dealing with expenses or the absence of hope. …… No one I asked disagreed that the sense of despondency is more pervasive this year. This includes politicians from parties in power and out……..
Much of this is due to economic instability and fragility. It seems as if in our cycles of boom and bust, the latter are growing longer and more intense while the former are even more fleeting. And with external shocks (present and expected) being what they are, the only prediction in town is of worse to come……
Between the two sets of rulers, there is no indication whatsoever that they want to fix anything. The PTI wants an election but holds out no assurance that it knows what to do once the election is held. The PML-N is rather busy recounting its (personal) grievances and wanting a rewind to its previous term, while the PPP, like the establishment, thinks the world can be forced to believe Pakistan still matters. It is astounding the manner in which the pitch to the world about the floods in the country has been made or the rapidity with which the cabinet continues to grow. And this crazy notion that with a little bit of time, the government will be able to recapture lost political ground is no less illogical than the idea floated in 2018 that the PTI be given six months to fix everything.
How this entire leadership or ruling elite — call it what you will — can ignore the mood of the populace is mind-boggling. As a politician pointed out, the people are so angry and so alienated they tend to support any party which espouses an anti-establishment slogan. This was PML-N in the past and the PTI now….
It would also do well to remember that this is the case in Punjab; elsewhere the alienation has already turned to political violence — in Balochistan — or increasing crime — in urban centres such as Karachi.
Is it even possible for those at the top to have a dialogue about this, instead of droning on about ‘truth and reconciliation’ processes, which is their code word for continuing the blame game and harping on ‘democracy’, another code word for winning power for themselves? And before it gets too late.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1714428/our-quiet-desperation
Our quiet desperation
by Arifa Noor in Dawn, Oct 11th, 2022
The writer is a journalist
…….every conversation these days is either about dealing with expenses or the absence of hope. …… No one I asked disagreed that the sense of despondency is more pervasive this year. This includes politicians from parties in power and out……..
Much of this is due to economic instability and fragility. It seems as if in our cycles of boom and bust, the latter are growing longer and more intense while the former are even more fleeting. And with external shocks (present and expected) being what they are, the only prediction in town is of worse to come……
Between the two sets of rulers, there is no indication whatsoever that they want to fix anything. The PTI wants an election but holds out no assurance that it knows what to do once the election is held. The PML-N is rather busy recounting its (personal) grievances and wanting a rewind to its previous term, while the PPP, like the establishment, thinks the world can be forced to believe Pakistan still matters. It is astounding the manner in which the pitch to the world about the floods in the country has been made or the rapidity with which the cabinet continues to grow. And this crazy notion that with a little bit of time, the government will be able to recapture lost political ground is no less illogical than the idea floated in 2018 that the PTI be given six months to fix everything.
How this entire leadership or ruling elite — call it what you will — can ignore the mood of the populace is mind-boggling. As a politician pointed out, the people are so angry and so alienated they tend to support any party which espouses an anti-establishment slogan. This was PML-N in the past and the PTI now….
It would also do well to remember that this is the case in Punjab; elsewhere the alienation has already turned to political violence — in Balochistan — or increasing crime — in urban centres such as Karachi.
Is it even possible for those at the top to have a dialogue about this, instead of droning on about ‘truth and reconciliation’ processes, which is their code word for continuing the blame game and harping on ‘democracy’, another code word for winning power for themselves? And before it gets too late.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1714428/our-quiet-desperation
Published in Pak Media comment and Uncategorized