By: Afroz Soomro
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has termed the one-year performance of the current coalition government as a journey of success. On Tuesday, April 11, the current government completed one year, but in its several tweets regarding the government’s performance in various sectors including economy, energy, diplomacy, communication and environment, it said that the common national goal of political parties with different manifestos. Coming together on a platform is a reflection of important progress in the political evolution of the country and a reflection of the politics of reconciliation. The Prime Minister said that when I took the oath of the Prime Minister, from my point of view, it was a year of great challenges and difficulties. The period after 2022 is a reflection of a new policy of understanding and cooperation instead of confrontation and revenge. Despite the economic landmines laid by the government and fluctuations in global prices of petroleum products and food items, Pakistan’s economy remains buoyant and all predictions of default have been proven wrong. The above Twitter messages can be said to be reassuring for the nation in the belief that the situation is now under control and the journey ahead is relatively less risky. But it is not possible to ignore the fact that the internal and external challenges facing the country persist to some degree. The ongoing operation against the criminals in the Kutch area includes elements involved in all kinds of crimes including anti-national activities. While in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, terrorists are attacking the security forces and intelligence-based operations are going on in many places. In the economy sector, there are many kinds of trials, in which efforts to recover from the effects of last year’s worst floods are of particular importance, while this year’s rains have also created problems for the rural population and agricultural economy. The industrial sector, which is a major source of foreign exchange and employment opportunities, is in constant decline due to which unemployment and poverty are increasing. The textile sector, including the import of cotton, is suffering from many such entanglements that require creative, generous and revolutionary measures to get out of it. Many sectors including motorcycle manufacturing, cement, fertilizer and energy are facing a battle for survival. Revolving credit has reached 550 billion rupees. The outlook report of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also seems to indicate several challenges. According to the forecast made in this report, during the current fiscal year 2022-23, Pakistan’s growth rate will decrease to 0.5%, inflation will increase to 27.1%, and next year will be 21.9%. The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have forecast Pakistan’s growth rate at 0.6 percent and 0.4 percent respectively. On the one hand, Watan Aziz is facing serious problems regarding the economy; on the other hand, there are concerns arising from political intolerance. There is a need to create such a political atmosphere in the country in which different circles can unite for the national interest despite their ideological differences and find ways to move forward together. In this regard, the suggestion of Center Zafarullah seems appropriate that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif should invite Imran Khan for Iftar. When there is an initiative for communication and the leaders meet, it can be hoped that there will be important breakthroughs in the country’s interest, including democracy and economy.