This refers to reports in Pakistani media about the army chief stressing the need for good governance to ensure better results. Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif told a corps commander meeting recently that good governance is prerequisite for development and better results. This statement seems to have triggered an overwhelming response from politicians with some of them airing open criticism while others welcoming it. Opposition leader Khursheed Shah and JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman expressed their displeasure terming the statement as interference. “Gone are the days when dictators used to come into power through martial laws,” Khursheed said.

Fazlur Rahman said the army chief cannot give instructions to an elected prime minister. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said some people were seeing bad governance despite all the developments taking place in the country.

Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan, on the other hand, endorsed the army chief’s statements saying good governance is the demand of the entire nation.

The statement, irrespective of whether it was a message by the army to the government or not, rings true in the current situation. It is the need of the hour to ensure good governance. The main issues of all so-called democratically elected governments in Pakistan have been corruption, nepotism and misuse of funds. All these resulted in the government borrowing billions of dollars from the IMF in exchange for harsh conditions that made the lives of common people miserable. Electricity tariff was raised, tax was levied on all items and inflation increased at an exponential rate.

The money thus borrowed was pocketed by politicians. Some received kickbacks in foreign deals, others resorted to nepotism and indulged in corruption. Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League have ruled the country for decades but they have only led the country to bankruptcy. And this is only due to bad governance. The army chief is absolutely right in saying that good governance is very essential for better results.