The Prime Minister called upon citizens to observe austerity and conserve both electricity and petrol. However, austerity can only be achieved if it begins at the top, where an extravagant lifestyle at taxpayers' expense has afflicted an elite-captured administration.
Rejecting Colonial Legacies
It is time to reject the archaic legacies of the British colonial era. They have no place in a sovereign and independent state facing a persistent financial crisis, where state administrative expenses far exceed the revenues collected. It is the failure of the state machinery responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing the rule of law, yet it continues to enjoy privileges that its counterparts in the West cannot even dream of.
Minority Concerns Addressed
Sindh IGP meets Hindu Panchayat delegation, discusses minority community concerns. We need to emulate the principles of governance set by Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar.
Wasteful Foreign Visits
Embarking on unnecessary foreign visits makes a mockery of austerity. It is unfortunate that a provincial Chief Minister has proceeded on a foreign trip to attend a conference that could have been attended by Pakistan's ambassador stationed there. There was no need for such a visit, especially when accompanied by the provincial Chief Secretary and family members. For a country whose foreign reserves depend almost entirely on foreign loans, bailout packages, rollovers from friendly nations, and remittances from expatriates, such extravagance is unacceptable.
Infrastructure Projects
Stakeholders meet to fast-track feasibility study for proposed Greenfield Int'l Airport. The government introduced daylight-saving measures by requiring retail shops and markets to close before 8 p.m. Such energy conservation measures are practised across Europe, the United States, Malaysia, and elsewhere. Yet within weeks, under pressure from retailers—many of whom belong to the privileged elite and do not pay their full share of taxes—the government has succumbed.
MALIK TARIQ ALI, Lahore.
