This is apropos a letter to the Editor titled ‘Country needs fresh elections’ carried by the newspaper yesterday. Mr Khawar has underscored the need for immediate elections in the country in order to end the current political strife in the country. Little does he however appreciate the fact that the country’s economy is almost on verge of collapse.

In other words, it’s one step from Sri Lanka’s. No interim set-up that is installed in response to calls for holding general elections can deal with myriad challenges or arrest the country’s economic slide. The incumbent government must rise to the occasion and take certain steps that are aimed at bringing about improvement, however modest, in the situation.

Unlike military or interim setup, a representative government always has some political capital at its disposal to effect some change. Insofar as caretakers are concerned, they’re there to respond to only day-to-day matters strictly in accordance with their mandate. The incumbent government must be encouraged, in Imran Khan’s jargon, to play till the last ball of the innings.

Shaukat Khan (Lahore)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022