IF screaming headlines in newspapers and noisy TV talk shows are to be believed then Pakistan is in deep trouble both on the domestic front and internationally. It goes without saying that internal stability creates a good impression on the world that in turn attracts foreign investment.
Unfortunately, Pakistan is faced with a host of issues from within and without. It is a real test for the current government. In all fairness to the current administration, one cannot deny that the government is not cognizant of the overall situation and its consequences. However, its response to the crises is debatable. The problem is that the government is confronted with many issues and all needs immediate attention and complete focus. Ironically, all these issues are interlinked. The economy cannot be improved without improvement in the overall law and order situation so on and so forth.
To add to the government’s woes, the law-enforcement agencies are ill equipped and ill-trained to tackle terrorism. Police and rangers have arrested people and even sacrificed their lives, but their overall performance is far from satisfactory.
The latest problem facing the government is the attacks on strategic installations and railway tracks. People are living under perpetual fear.
The southern Sindh province has, not only earned a bad name, it tops the list of corrupt and inefficient administration. Karachi sees half a dozen to nearly 20 deaths a day. Political workers of different parties, gangsters, criminals, and now Taleban, who according to some foreign experts, are now 30 percent of the city’s 18 million population, have been main players in the dirty drama.
The Pakistan People’s Party, ruling here, seems to suffer from paralysis, perhaps because it wants to see its main rival, Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), lose its stronghold on the electorate. The government has begun to confess that the Karachi operation against criminals and gangsters, has failed to achieve its objective. If Karachi remains in turmoil for six or more months, country’s economy will be in total ruins and flight of capital, already on for sometime, may gain momentum.
A scenario, already high volatile, may become much more complex if the fall-out from post-2014 Afghanistan worsens because of the likely civil war after the US pullout. Pakistan has been trying hard to ensure stability in its neighborhood but whether the new Afghan government, after the April elections there, can keep the country united and peaceful is a million dollar question. Afghan forces lack the skills to tackle Taleban.
Sharif administration faces real challenges. Whether it will be able to handle it properly remains to be seen.
