by B. R. GOWANI
“How IMF policies undermine rights” by Saroop Ijaz & Sarah Saadoun:
“A 47-year-old rickshaw driver in Lahore told us, ‘I can either get medicine (insulin) for my diabetes or pay for my daughter to go to school or keep the lights on at my house. I can do only one of the three. The IMF should come and see how I am managing my life.'”
(Saadoun & Ijaz are associated with the Human Rights Watch)
IMF doesn’t give a damn,
nor does the Pakistan establishment that borrows the funds…
in June, the IMF agreed to bail Pakistan out with US$3 bn
of course, with many strings and conditions
the burden of which will be borne by the poor masses …
who can save Pakistan from this economic and financial mess?
only Pakistanis can do this
all Pakistanis?
no
only the rulers
the politicians and the military?
no
only the military, because the politicians are at the military’s mercy
the military puts politicians in power positions …
&
lets them indulge in corrupt practices
the army follows the popular motto:
you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours …
the politicians are ousted by the army only when they stop obeying
the army has the power to implement real change
what should the military do now?
Pakistan’s defense budget for the next fiscal year is Rs 1.8 trillion
US $6.3 billion (1 US $= 286.96 Pakistani rupees)
the defense budget is …
13% higher than the allotted amount for the outgoing year
there are other defense department related expenses …
Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper in its June 10, 2023 editorial noted:
“Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s budget speech contained not a single word on how the government planned to pull the country out of the current economic morass.”
in May 2023, the army had commercial assets valued over US$26 bn
Pakistan army runs thousands of businesses
for the new recent IMF loan …
the US let the Pakistan army sell $900 million arms to Ukraine
in 2023, Pakistan owes IMF US $7.4 billion;
and is the IMF’s 5th biggest debtor
in Mar 2019, Pakistan’s foreign reserves were $15 billion;
today it’s down to $13.2 billion
politicians there are very corrupt;
and so is the Pakistan army
the army is the most powerful institution there;
thus, it has the power to change the situation
if it curbs its own corrupt practices & cuts its own budget,
it could conceivably ask others to follow suit
the politicians can not refuse the army’s order
only Pakistan army could save Pakistan from the mess it is in
or else ..
Pakistanis should all band together to save their country …
from their own army!
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com