WITH three different parties ruling the four provinces, one would have thought that the public would have benefited from a competition in good governance. Unfortunately, overall indicators remain poor and progress towards a healthy, educated society has been tardy. Just the fact that there are some 22 million out-of-school children in Pakistan and the country continues to be a reservoir for the crippling polio virus is indication enough of how little priority we attach to such issues. Still, it would not be fair to overlook the positive points — few though they may be. For instance, the Sindh government that can be justifiably criticised for its abysmal neglect of civic issues has spearheaded some of the most forward-looking legislation in the country to strike at the foundations of regressive traditions such as underage marriage. In the same way, Punjab, though slower than Sindh to legislate on key human rights issues, has focused on alleviating transport problems for its people — even though the difference between the urban and rural parts of the province remains visible. For its part, the KP government, which is often accused of soft-pedalling militancy in a province that is on the front lines of the battle against terrorism, has introduced a number of initiatives for improving people’s lives.

KP’s record is of interest here and perhaps much of the PTI government’s blue-sky thinking can be attributed to its enthusiasm as a newcomer to power — unlike the PML-N and the considerably jaded PPP. It is, perhaps, too soon to say whether its efforts have achieved what the government intended — that will be decided by the electorate in the next elections. But there is little doubt that KP certainly has its goals and optics right as the advertisements about its various programmes indicate. Take the Sehat ka Insaaf campaign and interventions for mother and child health, or the tree plantation drive. Or the most recent initiative communicated through the press: raising awareness about and providing interventions in government schools for children with dyslexia. The provincial government promises, starting next year, remedial therapy and policy-level options. How well it follows through on its pledge remains to be seen, but even the realisation of a problem that is little discussed in the country is laudable. The other provinces would do well to follow KP’s lead and come up with workable schemes aimed at improving public life.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2017