Pakistan, unlike sheikhdoms in Middle East and Gulf, is a constitutional parliamentary democracy, with no unchecked unilateral power to either PM or his cabinet, requiring transparency in financial deals with any country in accordance with rules in existence, and an active built-in system of checks and balances, with provision for judicial overview in case of any abuse of authority that may have a financial burden on state. Pakistan faces financial bankruptcy and energy shortage because governments in power, both elected and dictatorial, have signed inappropriate one sided deals in the power sector, with guaranteed capacity remuneration, irrespective of whether power is fed to the national distribution system. Failure of the parliament and opposition to ensure the rule of law has had an adverse impact on the common man of this country and not served the cause of democracy.
Opposition parties like PTI should be talking about issues of public interest, instead of confining themselves to rigging etc. In the recent past when the elected parliament failed to keep a check, Superior Judiciary took notice in public interest and came to rescue of this country.
The promised injection of investment by our strategic partner China will fail to achieve economic self sustainability, unless this institutionalized corruption and pilfering of our scarce resources by ruling political elite and paid bureaucracy is not curbed with an iron hand. A Floating Re-gasification Storage Unit has been hired by private party which will feed gas to national distribution system and in case of non-utilization for any reason; the Pakistan Government will pay demurrage charges in excess of $237,000 per day. Nobody knows what is the cost to consumer of this imported source of energy, at a time when petroleum products and gas energy sources are facing a recession worldwide. Both SNGPL and SSGPL are already facing losses because of repetitive political interference and large scale theft by influential commercial power consumers. PSO is bogged down with corruption and incompetence, while OGRA has been reduced to a tame white elephant. One hopes that the Supreme Court would take notice and order prosecution of concerned ministers, bureaucrats and ultimately thefederal cabinet, for any diligence or abuse of power to detriment of national exchequer.
MALIK T ALI,
Lahore, April 21.