That said, there are quite a few strange, unusual developments which create doubts about the viability of the present system. There are reports that the scion of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, youthful and ambitious Monis Ilahi, had held a meeting with the senior bureaucrats of the Punjab government and gave them his mind as to what they should do or not do with regard to distribution of development funds. That he met them without the knowledge of Chief Minister Buzdar is a fact. That the prime minister has already declared the young Chaudhry 'unfit' for the top slot in the province is also a fact. The situation has, therefore, given birth to a profound question: Who is then cooking up this yarn? Then there was this 'unconditional' support of the government in the parliament for the extension of General Bajwa's tenure by the PML-N and PPP, and grant of bails to all the incarcerated leaders of political opposition. It is quite interesting to note that the visiting US official, Alice Wells, wanted to meet Bilawal Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz, but she did not get the opportunity. The question why she has stepped up criticism of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) also has no easy answer. There is a great deal of confusion, breeding uncertainty about the plans and policies nurtured and followed by the government, or developments beyond its control. When the prime minister tells his audience at Davos that "my government is most transparent" the Transparency International says that Pakistan was more corrupt in 2019 - even more than what it was during the governments of Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari. When the people of Pakistan face acute shortage of wheat flour the government first says there is no shortage of it, but goes for its import after having exported it only few months back - and all of it reportedly done by same important political player. The time for blame game is over. It's about time the government came clean on these ambiguities and conjectures. It is high time the prime minister spent the same amount of time it gave to international audience at Davos with the people at home and apprised them of the ground realities as they obtain in today's Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020