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When Shaukat Tareen Will Leave
The Scene
The nation is still trying to wipe out the
bloody wounds that Shaukat Aziz inflicted on its economy. Can
someone imagine what the scenario will look like when Shaukat
Tareen will leave?
Not many people have the ability to foresee
the future. We are not talking about ‘foreseeing’ future in the
sense of fortune tellers, but as professional experts who can
predict future on the basis of facts and figures.
Unfortunately, Pakistan’s ruling elite does
not have many such experts in its ranks. If there are few, they
like to hide their heads in sand like ostriches. They do not
want to foresee the dreadful realities that nation repeatedly
faces after these wizards leave the scene.
Most of them are Einstein’s proverbial fools
who believe in repeating the same things over and over with the
expectation to produce different results.
Was it necessary to engage Shaukat Tareen and
make him in charge of finances after the destruction and
devastation brought upon Pakistani economy by his namesake
Shaukat Aziz? Particularly, when he is a man with the same
vision, same economic philosophy, and identical background.
PPP government first engaged him as Finance
Advisor and now PPP govt. has installed him in Senate against
technocrat seat and given him the full rank of a Federal
Minister. There is definitely something wrong with PPP.
Like Shaukat Aziz, Shaukat Tareen does not
represent the people of Pakistan. He will leave Pakistan as soon
as his role will be over. What will he leave behind, probably a
Pakistan worse than Shaukat Aziz left.
The way PPP govt. has rented costly Electric
Power stations to deal with electricity supply shortage it shows
the mentality behind Shaukat Aziz/Shaukat Tareen policies:
provide a temporary relief to the people to get them off your
back and let them deal with the worsened problems later on.
Pakistan needed a Finance Minister who could
control its run-amok expenses, raise the revenue collection, put
the economy on the path of self reliance and help people of
Pakistan light up their homes with cheaper electricity and bring
basic necessities of life in their reach.
Unfortunately, what Pakistan has is a true
copy of Shaukat Aziz. Mr. Shaukat Tareen who called President
Zardari from Istanbul and told him the reduction in oil prices
under Supreme Court orders was making it difficult for him to
negotiate with World Bank officials. While President Zardari,
obliging Shaukat Tareen issued Presidential Ordinance to bring
oil prices back to the pre Supreme Court decision level,
Financial Advisor gave ‘ another good news of raising the oil
and electricity prices’ to the people to convince the World Bank
officials about the continuity of their policies in Pakistan.
There are many issues in this muddy deal:
issues about the issue and issues about the whole political
system of Pakistan.
Without going into the issues related to the
political system of Pakistan and maintaining focus on Shaukat
Tareen, we suggest Pakistan must make U-turn on these economic
policies of appeasement of international financial institutions
and look for local solutions for its economic problems.
This cannot go on for too long. The noose
around Pakistan’s neck is already too tight. Let the country
ease-up. Review the whole economic set-up and redraw the whole
economic map. Freedom from further foreign loans and
self-reliance within country’s own economic resources is a must.
We fear Shaukat Tareen’s economic philosophy
and practical steps will leave Pakistan bloodier than Shaukat
Aziz left it.
Are we sure we want to go on the same route
with the expectation to reach somewhere else?
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