The writer is a business and economy journalist.
NEWS is coming in that the agreement reached between the government and the IMF for restarting the programme includes up to Rs200 billion of continuing spending for Covid support, an amount that is substantially lower than the unspent funds committed by the prime minister under his relief package announced at the start of the pandemic last year. The news has not yet been confirmed officially by the Fund or the government, but has been reported by the intrepid Shahbaz Rana.
The Fund had hinted at this in its last statement when it said the fiscal strategy to be followed under the terms agreed “allows for higher-than-expected Covid-related and social spending to minimise the short-term impact on growth and the most vulnerable.” We do not yet have details on how the government proposes to spend this additional Rs200bn but note the distinction the IMF draws in its language between spending to support growth and spending to support th
FOR the success and progress of democracy, free and fair elections are a prerequisite. After the 1970 elections in Pakistan, an internal crisis resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, because one of the major parties had issues with the rules of the game. Today, the opposition’s struggle to oust the government will not solve the problem unless the rules of the game are redefined and the players are ready to follow them to ensure fair play both on and off the field.
It is not just about the 2018 elections anyway. The fact is that, except the 1970 elections, all elections held in Pakistan were manipulated to some extent and, hence, failed to deliver true democracy. So, instead of working to remove the government, the opposition may pursue electoral reforms to ensure that future elections are not disputed. But, unfortunately, the current parliament will not be able to do the job, for the government and opposition in the National Assembly are at daggers drawn.
INGO Joint Statement on the Unfolding Crisis in Myanmar [EN/MY]
Format
INGO Joint Statement on the Unfolding Crisis in Myanmar As INGOs working in Myanmar, we support the fulfillment of human rights and all people’s equal, democratic participation. We are deeply concerned about the military seizure of power in the country in light of the potential immediate and longer-term impacts on the safety, rights and wellbeing of people across Myanmar, particularly those already experiencing vulnerability and marginalization.
We remain committed to working with and supporting our civil society partners; from local community groups to national civil society networks. Most of our work in Myanmar is carried out with our partners, supporting communities with urgently needed assistance to meet their immediate basic needs, and with programmes that build greater resilience over the longer term. However:
Three years have passed without local government elections
The local government elections that are a constitutional obligation under Article 140 A have not been held as yet even though the sitting government has entered its third year. It is binding on the provincial governments to hold these elections with the support of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) but so far these have not been held anywhere in the province.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has been a strong proponent of the local government system and often boasts of running it exceedingly well in KP when his party was heading the province from 2013 to 2018. It was during this time that the local governments in the province got 30 percent of the development budget of the province and allowed to use it independently. Reportedly, members of the opposition parties too had access to these funds.