Javed Hassan |
So, the catcalls and hollering of his amateurism, his naiveté, his indelicacy, and his lack of preparedness reached a crescendo as the Prime Minister embarked on his mission to Riyadh – yes, desperate to raise money for his beloved but beleaguered country.
Media barons and their minions, as well as, the opposition gleefully lambasted Imran Khan for using the word desperate in describing the critical situation the economy was in. How dare he let the world know about the perilous balance of payments crises, and the possibility of default? How dare he annoys a strong ally like Turkey by going begging to Saudi Arabia? Why does he not shut up and get out of the way?
Oh no, this no-good novice has managed to secure the country $6bn lifeline in the short-term, and $12bn in the long-term.
Our valiant savior of democracy, Mr. Zardari, hissed that the nation immediately needed to remove Khan since his three months of a rule has proved beyond any doubt that he was a clear and present danger to the survival of the nation. Little matter that last time PPP was in power, it brought the nation to the brink of bankruptcy. The other great champion of constitutionalism and good governance, Nawaz Sharif, agreed with urgency.
Obviously, he feels his rule over the previous five years has little to answer for the present crises. And never to be left far behind, the eponymous symbol of democracy’s beauty, Maulana Fazal-ur-Rahman, demanded that perennial solution to all problems – an All Parties Conference, with the singular goal of removing this pretender of a Prime Minister, to whom the people of Pakistan had foolishly given their mandate for tabdeeli.
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The rumblings of discontent against the altogether unacceptable notion of accountability of the powerful were now to be converted into action. This coalition of discontents was confident that the desperate delegation to ‘Davos of the Desert’ was destined to be disappointed. On cue, a select band in media loudly banged the drums of impending doom for the new government.
But what is this? Kaptaan has bowled an in-swinging, toe-crushing beauty of a Yorker that has felled the combined opposition flat on its face. Oh no, this no-good novice has managed to secure the country $6bn lifeline in the short-term, and $12bn in the long-term.
He’s managed to eloquently elucidate the many opportunities that investment destination Pakistan offers, which immediately translated into a confirmation of interest for multibillion-dollar investments in refining and minerals exploration.
Those criticizing the PM for using that factual word can spend their time looking up a thesaurus to better describe the parlous state of the economy that he inherited.
Against his nature, he humbly bowed and beseeched a brotherly nation for help, in order to navigate the nation out of the dangerous swirls of imminent crises. He’s demonstrated that here’s a leader who will swallow his pride to serve and save the nation.
If it meant an admission of the truth that we are indeed DESPERATE for a cash injection in order to secure us some breathing space, this PM was willing to say it as he saw it. And why not – few that are sincere to the nation would begrudge him using the word as often as is required to get whatever is necessary to either obviate or minimize the loans we seek from IMF.
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Admitting the reality of the dire straits the PMLN government left the economy in is the first step in the slow process of turning it around. Those criticizing the PM for using that factual word can spend their time looking up a thesaurus to better describe the parlous state of the economy that he inherited. Imran Khan in the meanwhile can get on with a business of trying to save the country.
Javed Hassan is a graduate of Imperial College London and an MBA from London Business School. He is an investment banker who has worked in London, Hong Kong, and Karachi. He tweets as @javedhassan. The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.