A recent advice from the International Monetary Fund for the political parties in Pakistan to develop a broader political consensus among them could be termed interference in the internal affairs of the country, but fact of the matter is that the structural reforms to rationalize tax rates, improve collection system and support public sector enterprises are indispensible in the prevailing circumstances. The political parties depict rosy pictures of their possible tenures in their respective manifestoes, but forget every promise after coming to power. The country is facing serious economic challenges, including energy shortage and low industrial surplus. The future of the political parties lies in the future of the country. Therefore, it is their collective responsibility to develop consensus on major economic issues. A broader political consensus is critical for the success of structural reforms and economic agenda should be a priority of every political party. Taxation is the major area of concern on the administrative level as the tax to GDP ratio in Pakistan is the lowest in the region. People are burdened with heavy taxes which are indirectly imposed on all and sundry. This is grave injustice to the have-nots as they earn less, but are forced to pay more.
The struggle of political parties is to reach the corridors of power by any mean while development, growth, reforms and economic wellbeing of the country is not their priority. This unfair or careless approach leads to corruption, mismanagement and administrative failure. The political parties fail to do their homework while they are in the opposition and fail to do anything positive after coming to power. The fund should not have commented on the internal politics of Pakistan, but its advice needs to be heard carefully. Despite the fact that all economic indicators are in the country’s favour, every sector of the economy is showing below average performance. According to experts, structural reforms have been due for long in the country as the government departments will have to update their standard operating procedures to meet the criteria of modern age. The trends of the economy have been changed and politics of the world revolves around trade, economy and investment. When every nation is racing against the time, Pakistan is apparently not in a mood to even take the first step in the right direction. The government cannot give a bailout package for every sector, but should involve the public and private sectors in the nation building programmes.
