All one can say is RIP Sep 09

by Khurshid Anwer

Re: Javed Choudry’s recent column,

I do not agree with him that it is Zardari’s ‘Swiss Accounts’ which have pushed the country into an abyss of destruction from which even angels can’t resurrect it. After all it is only 60 million dollars which is neither here or there (or nowhere).

True, in his effort to save the money he has had to make compromises across the board, horizontally and vertically, in the name of ‘mufahmat’, causing much damage to the country.

But a more devious and telling blow has been his ‘populist’ policies aimed at consolidating the PPP vote bank in readiness for the forthcoming elections. His refusal to privatise the loss making state enterprises in order to protect his nest-egg of jiala voters was bad enough but his ‘Dismissed Employees Ordinance’ is the last nail in the coffin.

Any one dismissed no matter how many years ago and for whatever reasons, even through due process of law, will now be reinstated with back wages. What this will do to the work-discipline across the length and breadth of the country is not difficult to imagine.

No wonder no investment is taking place. Of course there is a method to this madness. The purpose is to buy the elections by throwing money all around, be it the ‘bheek’ programs, the recurring ‘Bailout Packages’ for the white elephants or the bloated and disproportionate ‘PSDP’.

Another five years of PPP and Zardari is the lethal arrow whirring relentlessly towards the ‘Achiles Heel’ of Pakistan. All one can say is RIP.