After three years of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) forming the government in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan has failed to achieve what his party had promised to the people in its 2018 manifesto.
The Cricket star-turned-play boy-turned-politician has succeeded in giving tough looks, and inspiring people with eloquence and rhetorics but his assertions and tall claims quickly faded away after the elections because they were never pragmatic.
The on-ground reality in areas where the government has promised to work accurately seems fragile and Imran Khan’s ignorance could be observed in these areas.
The PTI has promised to empower the people at the grassroot level through local governments but this promise has remained a far cry as these bodies are completely being controlled by MPAs and MNAs, or by the bureaucracy, who do not want to cede their authority and relevance.
A serious economic crisis exacerbated by COVID-19 forced Khan to seek external assistance, including from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — an institution he had criticised throughout his political career as a hegemon — and from both China and Saudi Arabia. In 2019–20, Pakistan’s economic growth rate dropped into negative territory at –0.4 percent.
A survey, the National Corruption Perception Survey 2021, by Transparency International Pakistan, shows that nearly 86 per cent of Pakistanis believe that their income had squeezed under the PTI rule and 92.9pc said inflation is ‘highest during the current government’. Only a very small number of responders 4.6pc and 2.5pc thought that prices had risen faster under the PML-N government during 2013-18 and under the PPP during 2008-13.
When Imran Khan came into power, he talked about things like Madina state, New Pakistan, corruption-free Pakistan, but what followed is in front of the people of Pakistan.
Before elections, Imran Khan’s charisma and his heart-winning statements quickly won the hearts of Pakistan folk. His vision of “Naya Pakistan” was inspirational although too idealistic. He reinvigorated a new zeal in the youth. However, he also did a lot of dirty politics to win popularity. The central theme of his election campaign was to recklessly blame and mortify the existing Pakistani politicians. Against them, he popularized words like “Chor (Thugs)”, “Daaku” (looters) and “Corrupt”. He brilliantly played the trump card of the corruption cases against the Sharif family (previous government). They were blatantly exposed in front of the nation so that the nation would choose Khan’s party in the next elections. He also spread massive hatred against them. Khan made the people believe that the solution for every problem was getting rid of Nawaz Sharif and people simply believed him.
Recent developments have also underlined the political vulnerabilities of the Pakistan government led by Imran Khan. The first was the open standoff between the government and the powerful Pakistani security establishment on the appointment of a new chief for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. The Prime Minister, whose closeness and indebtedness to the Pakistani military is well known, suddenly decided to question Army chief Gen. Qamar Bajwa’s selection of a new ISI chief. The Army announced its nominee, Lt Gen. Nadeem Ahmad Anjum, for the post in mid October, apparently without keeping the Prime Minister’s Office in the loop.
The PTI government has also promised to fix the country’s energy challenge but a report from the Pakistan Ministry of Energy showed that circular debt has almost doubled in the last three years in the country despite a regular increase in electricity prices.
In the final circular debt report for the fiscal year 2020-21, the ministry reported that debt has reached Rs 2.28 trillion in the country due to the government’s failure to address losses in electricity.
Imran Khan’s hidden policy of nurturing terrorists in Pakistan in the hope that they will only harm their neighbours has affected the region and the world.
Women, religious minorities, and transgender people face violent attacks, discrimination, and government persecution, with authorities failing to provide adequate protection or hold perpetrators accountable.
Imran Khan’s government is facing challenges and his own popularity is on the wane. The problems Pakistan faces today signify Khan’s poor leadership.
What Pakistan needs is a long and sustained resistance, with strong and unified civilian leadership but given the current state of affairs and the failed leadership of Imran Khan, this may as well be a far-reaching dream.