PM calls a spade a spade

Courtesy:- S Rahman

Mian Nawaz Sharif’s address to the nation is that honest leaders and honesty of leadership are the hope of any nation as they find ways and means to address the problems in dead earnest instead of misleading them with fanciful pledges and by drawing false picture.

The human history is rather witness to the fact that nations led by honest leaders have met tremendous successes by not only achieving the set goals but also in coping with difficult-most challenges and threats.

Prime Minister Sharif has drawn the true picture of the ground realities instead of resorting to the old politicians’ tactic of drawing a rosy picture that has normally led the massed to despair when the ‘dreams don’t come true’. But the realistic picture of actual happenings and their background has been drawn not for adopting an escapist route but for motivating the nation into action for a bright future.

Leaders like Nawaz Sharif who always mean what they say, as proved from their track record, are certainly a permanent source of inspiration for a depressed nation that has had enough of terrorism, loadshedding, unemployment and myriad problems of other nature.

The address to the nation by the PM is not only a wake-up call for both the leaders and the led but also a solemn pledge by the people’s popular leader that things would be put on the track for which he (the PM) didn’t go easy for a single moment ever since coming into power. “Not a single moment has passed in the last two and a half months that I have not reflected on how to meet the present challenges”.

Thos who have watched the Nawaz government functionaries including the PM during this period will agree in totality with this observation of the prime minister.

The work is on day and night with a sense of direction accompanied with intelligent application of mind that is the driving force behind sound planning. Moving among different circles, it has been observed that the overall impact of the PM’s speech has been quite encouraging.

In Mian Nawaz Sharif, the people have found a clear departure from many former leaders who would harp the ‘everything is ok’ mantra round the clock. It is also an established fact of history that nations working incessantly towards higher goals after properly and realistically comprehending the scale of their problems, have accomplished landmarks.

It is our good luck that practical work has begun in all the crucial areas that include energy and counterterrorism. Circular debt to the tune of Rs480 billion has been adjusted just in a few days’ time (it resulted in an increase of 1700MW). Energy policy has been formulated with consensus among federal and provincial governments.

And there is going to be no leniency shown towards the people involved in gas and power pilferage that amounts to Rs150 to 250 billion annually. PM says: “This is an open plunder of national resources. We have undertaken a full-fledged anti-theft drive against the culprits, which is still going on with firm determination. The culture of loot is over now”.

In fact this is the central idea of PM’s address to the nation i.e the end to culture of loot. And loot of national resources is not confined merely to power and gas pilferage and illegal gratification and scams in officialdom. It is rather a wider phenomenon. Even sluggish work and work without proper sense of direction means plunder of national resources. In his address, the PM has pinpointed one big lapse in the Neelum-Jhelum project. When the PM asked the project managers as to how would they transmit electricity generated at Neelum-Jhelum they had no answer to give because the transmission plans were never included in the original project. PM Sharif had to intervene to get the transmission part included promptly in the project.

And the PM has given the nation another good news in the power sector that he would soon inaugurate a 6600MW project at Gaddani. “Similarly, development work will commence on electricity projects at Thar (coal-based generation)”.

At the same time, the government is seriously concerned about terrorism that the PM has quite rightly ascribed to wrong policies and ulterior motives. Lamenting the thousands of deaths caused by terrorism, the PM has posed a question that reflects the innermost thinking of the entire Pakistani nation. And that is: “Shall we call it incompetence or insensitiveness? Whatever we name it, Pakistan cannot tolerate this anymore.”

This is indeed heartening news that the confusion of the past is gone. The PM is determined to do away with that confusion spell and adopt the path of zero tolerance for this deadly malaise called terrorism.

“Time has come that we should be brave enough to call a spade a spade.We should admit that our administrative and security agencies and the system of our punishment and reward have failed to come up to our expectation against the challenge of terrorism”.

What is more consoling for the people to note is that the Nawaz administration, besides holding consultations with the political parties, is also willing to hold dialogue with those who, according to the PM, have unfortunately adopted extremism. “We have more than one option to deal with terrorists but wisdom demands such a way out as to avoid further loss of innocent lives”.

This is the voice of every citizen of Pakistan that there should be no more bloodshed. The PM is clear about it as he has promised end to further bloodshed “whether it is achieved through the process of dialogue or heavy use of the state force.

All the institutions of the country are unanimously united on this national issue”. This unity factor also owes to the persistent struggle of Nawaz government to gather collective prudence and strength for chalking out a more effective, foolproof strategy to wipe out terrorism from this land”.

Evaluating the PM’s address from different perspectives, it can be aptly described as a heart-to-talk between a popularly elected head of government and the people in which all important issues have been discussed, with concern and commitment, including Afghanistan, Kashmir, Lahore-Karachi motorway, Gwadar-Kasghar project and Pak-China economic corridor. The PM has, in fact, told the nation to gird up its loins and take up the challenges with courage and clarity of vision.He is always there to lead them out of all their crises.