In charter(ed) waters again

The Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has repeated his call for consensus on economic priorities and agenda, asking for what he terms Charter of Economy. Noble idea indeed and it has also got traction from various circles, including this column. Although, not even a sketch of what can a charter of economy look like has come from Dar, references to the famous Charter of Democracy (CoD) have repeatedly been made in the context.

It has been a little over eleven years since the CoD was penned, and besides the occasional acknowledgement of the passing of 18th constitutional amendment, the true spirit seems to have lost somewhere. There is little denying that the 18the constitutional amendment is indeed the brainchild of the CoD signed back in 2006, and has undoubtedly served Pakistan for the better.

How much of progress has been tracked since? Since the two signatories have been in power respectively, questions should be asked why CoD remains an unfulfilled agenda even after a decade. That the democracy has continued, almost uninterrupted, for two consecutive tenure, is no short of an achievement itself and credit be given to the political class and even to the CoD if insisted.

But continuation of the system alone was not the entire CoD. It promised much more towards reforms, justice, governance, accountability, impartiality, truth and reconciliation what not. Apart from achieving a few reserved seats, doing away with the graduation criteria for contesting elections, consensus appointments of caretaker and ECP setups, there has not been much progress on other promised fronts.

There should be no excuses for not been able to let alone achieve, even look remotely close to achieving the CoD targets. Without doubting the intent of the CoD signatories, it increasingly appears that the low hanging fruits have so far been the only ones, plucked.

Now when the Charter of Economy is being talked up, they must remember, Pakistan is not a two-major party’s political system anymore. Inclusiveness is what will be needed for anyone to term it a true charter. And if Dar wants it to happen before the next general elections, it already seems late for the discourse to not have started.