By now, everyone and their pets have figured out the undisclosed source of the $1.5 billion injection to the treasury. But so far, there has been no official word from Finance Minister Ishaq Dar or his team.
Does the finance ministry want the whole country to play guessing games with each other? Or is it that they view Pakistans economic observers as a bunch of dupes or yes-sir-men who would consume the undisclosed information as it is, and live happily ever after without ever questioning it.
Perhaps the secrecy stems from some kind of alluded sense of national secret. But, have we already forgotten that much has been lost and damaged, and so many have been tortured behind the very veil of national interest in the last few decades. National interest is what mass graves have been made of.
The finance ministry would be well advised to know that the money may indeed be coming from the Middle East but that does not mean that we start living in the middle ages. State secrecy, especially in such financial affairs, isn the smartest thing to do in modern day and age. It just doesn work; sooner or later the doors of secrecy have to open. Best if they do not open with force; or unexpectedly.
The irresponsibility of secrecy aside; has somebody even thought about the impact of Dars victorious claims of we brought the rupee down? What kind of message are we giving to our potential foreign investors and other foreign stakeholders? That, we are a country where a finance minister is taking pride in bringing down currency parity with the help of undisclosed monies? Not quite the image that suits a country trying to woo foreign investments.
There are no free lunches. The bottom line is that you hide only when you are playing dirty. Otherwise, what else prevents the government from bringing the proposal on the table, and have the parliament and society discuss it in a matter that is transparent and reflects the voice of public reason? Dar Sahib is an accountant by profession. And as an accountant, he should best know his disclosure requirements.
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