'In the name of the poor'

This is apropos a Business Recorder op-ed "In the name of the poor" carried by the newspaper yesterday. The writer, Shabir Ahmed, has highlighted a key point in relation to the situation obtaining following the breakout of Covid-19 in the country. According to him, "Where will the pandemic-related funds and facilities allocated to agriculture, construction, industry etc., end up (bravely assuming Finance does release the entire amount)? It is not enough to say jobs will be saved, without quantifying the numbers and sharing the specific measures to ensure it doesn't remain a moving target."

It is needless to say that government's policymaking pos-Covid-19 is hamstrung by the required groundwork. In other words, the evolving situation is not conducive for our policymakers to strategize and plan things in an appropriate manner. It is indeed very doubtful whether the government - federal and provincial - have reached out to the poor and vulnerable to disburse money or aid in a manner that they have pledged.