AS the aphorism goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. This seems to be the case in Pakistan, particularly when the issue is one of interventions that would improve the lot of the common man. Consider, for example, that the KP government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has in recent days initiated a push on education. This is a worthy initiative indeed, for there is no doubt that whatever the range of problems faced by the country in general and the province in particular, matters can only improve once levels of education start climbing. So far, regardless of the fact that we have signed pledges to provide free education to all, besides making this a constitutional right, enrolling every child in school remains a distant dream. So there is every reason to appreciate that the KP government has made this goal a priority.

And yet, what casts doubt over the eventual effectiveness of this initiative is the fact that, not too long ago, the media was full of advertisements by the KP government about its determination to curb the spread of polio and to ensure the immunisation of every child under its Sehat ka Insaf programme. Where is that now? Has the goal been achieved, and is the provincial government satisfied enough on the issue of children’s health? Quite obviously, there is some way to go before immunisation is ensured for all children; headlines around the world continue to identify Pakistan, and KP in particular, as the world’s most dangerous polio flashpoint, where the lists of polio cases grow longer every day. The fact is that too often in Pakistan, issues such as polio, or education, or development — all of which make a substantive difference to the lives of the people — are taken by those in power as good opportunities to curry political favour, with barely any real work done to back it up. Until this attitude changes, concrete progress will remain non-existent.