Minister should really think before he speaks
MAY 8, 2019
Whatever the critics might say about the Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf government, no one can deny that it keeps us entertained.
Whether it’s the Great Khan saying that Jesus (peace be upon him) is not
mentioned anywhere in history books or that Japan and Germany share a common
border, or that a billion trees in his home province have suddenly became five
billion, we do get to laugh almost every day. And laughter, as they say, is the
best medicine and free as well, which is probably why the government has raised
the drug prices substantially. We have also heard about lowering medicine
prices, but that too has amused us.
Perhaps
the one who entertains us the most is the very able and learned minister for
water (an eminently suitable portfolio, as he belongs to a city where water
costs a lot).
We
gasped in admiration when he drove on a very expensive motorcycle up Zamzama Road
in Karachi, with many security vehicles in tow. Mind you, this was much before
the general elections, at a time when the Dear Leader was berating those in the
previous government for too many protocol vehicles. I have been told the
motorcycle cost more than Rs 2 million, but what’s a few million when you have
got money to burn?
And
then there was the time when he turned up during the terrorist attack on the
Chinese Consulate, complete with guns and a cameraman. What a man! we
exclaimed. He was right there in the thick of it, even though some jealous
people later said the action had ended before he got there. Nonsense. How do
they know? They were hiding under their beds all the time.
And who can forget the day he reached the place where the Indian
MiG had been shot down? There he was, a cameraman in tow, posing as if he
himself had shot the plane down. I heard that the prime minister was worried
that in his zest and enthusiasm, the minister might get too near the Line of
Control. One day he amazed us all by announcing that the free fall of the rupee
would end that evening, and lo and behold, it did! The rupee remained stable
for a couple of days before the dollar again resumed its onward march.
Recently,
we saw his photos with the holiest men in the Islamic world, the ones who lead
the prayers in two of the holiest mosques. He must have returned home
spiritually strengthened, which may have been the reason for his aggressive
speech at the inauguration of the Mohmand Dam recently.
The speech should be kept on record for posterity because he did
not devote more than a minute to speaking about the dam, instead he spoke about
those who have looted the country and how his Dear Leader is doing everything
to recover the stolen billions from them. But there was one thing he said which
may have startled the Great Khan himself. He said the people of Pakistan were
prepared to face all kinds of ordeals and wouldn’t mind paying Rs 200 per liter
for petrol (slightly more than double the prevailing price).
There
is quite a lot of truth in what he said. I do know people who wouldn’t protest
if the petrol price goes up to even Rs 2,000 a litre, but there aren’t many of
them. I’m referring to those whose perks and privileges include free petrol every
month (quantity depending on the importance of the person concerned), free
electricity and gas, besides of course rent-free housing and a virtually
unlimited number of telephone calls. Such people can be found in government
departments, in our assemblies, and in the corporate sector where salaries
range from Rs 10 million to Rs 20 million a month. They can be seen dining in
expensive restaurants, where a plate of biryani costs a thousand at least, and
the owners of the eateries consider it a heinous sin to pay income tax or sales
tax. For that reason, they don’t accept credit cards but insist on cash. No
doubt our very able minister for water knows some of these worthy citizens.
And now let’s see what kind of people strenuously oppose any
raise in fuel prices and who have nightmares every day about soaring prices.
Among them are the millions who own motorcycles and use at least a litre of
petrol a day. For them, it will mean spending Rs 3,000 every month if petrol
prices go up to Rs 200 a litre. Then there are those who commute on jam-packed
buses to work, the men and women whom you can see in long queues outside
charity hospitals, those who’re struggling to survive because they live below
the poverty line and whose numbers have increased by four million since this
government came into power. The worthy minister should go to the slums where
such people live and ask them if they support a hike in fuel prices.
Perhaps,
Faisal Vawda will think again before he says that the people will not object to
petrol prices being doubled. He should think of the 60 million desperately poor
Pakistanis, as well as those in the middle class who have already been affected
by the soaring prices of edibles, medicines, electricity, and gas, who have
already stopped consuming mutton because it’s beyond their means. But only a
miracle will transform him into someone who has the interests of the people at
heart.
The writer is a freelancer
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