Forgotten Agenda Of Reforms And Institution Building

Before coming into power, Imran Khan was known for his understanding and commitment for institution building and reforms. However, his rule and the year 2019 proved him doing otherwise. For the PTI government and Prime Minister Imran Khan, the year 2019 could be best described as the year of U-turns and broken promises.

Imran Khan had come into power to end status quo which instead further strengthened and the year 2019 got wasted by politics of accusation and bad mouthing.

Going through the PTI manifesto today as Imran Khan government completes 16 months of its tenure, one finds Pakistan far from what was promised. For example, the ruling party’s manifesto committed to transform governance for which it enlisted following nine commitments: Bringing accountability to the core of government; Empowering people at the grassroots level through local government; Depoliticising and strengthening police; Reforming criminal justice system and providing speedy access to justice; Reforming civil service; Institutionalising e-Governance practices in public administration; Facilitating delivery through legislative reform (Right to Information, Right to Services); Reforming government procurement; and ensuring freedom of the press.

Hardly any of the above promises has been fulfilled to transform the governance. In cases, the situation rather further deteriorated.

Ministers involved in alleged wrongdoings were protected despite having been publicly exposed. Not even minister at the federal or provincial level has been shown the door for incompetence or for doing a wrong.

Local governments were failed and the new system was promised without any sign of local government elections in near future. For example, the manifesto says, “Depoliticise and strengthen Police.” But 2019 saw the police having been further politicised with no sign of promised reform.

“Reform of civil service” was another promise but the bureaucracy is today shaken like never before. There is no respect for tenure and the civil servants have been made rolling stone. Punjab became the nightmare for the government servants as the province saw at least five IG Police, three Chief Secretaries and repeated transfers of secretaries, commissioners, deputy commissioners, regional police officers, district police officers etc during the last 16 months.

Institutions were to be strengthened but in real life NAB became more ruthless with its abuse of power, FIA was also dictated to grill the opponents as per the whims and wishes of the rulers and the entities like FBR and SECP also kept waiting for the promised reforms.

The PTI had also promised to reform the criminal justice system and provide speedy access to justice. But here too the government did nothing instead the incidents like Sahiwal killings, Salahuddin case, Rana Sanaullah episode caused more disappointments.

Facilitation of service delivery through legislative reforms was the commitment of the PTI but the politics of confrontation made Parliament an impossible place for the serious business of legislation and structural reforms.

As per the manifesto, freedom of press was to be ensured but the 2019 was just the opposite for the media, which experienced unprecedented curbs, censorship and arm-twisting.

On the economic side, the PTI’s topmost promises were to create 10 million jobs and build five million houses. Both of these promises are now referred to as jokes against the PTI government as 2019 saw over a million people losing their jobs and a large number of people losing their houses as a result of government’s anti-encroachment drive.