CARETAKER Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk should know that even a 60-day stint as the prime minister of 210 million Pakistanis is a matter of great honour and pride. Restrained by the law to matters of routine banalities, he must have considered doing something different and profound that would leave his mark on the pages of history.

A previous prime minister faced with a similar situation performed a very unusual task. Moments before finally stepping out of the Prime Minister’s house, he signed documents that authorised himself and his friends to obtain five licences each for weapons of prohibited bore.

Instead of waiting for the last day, you PM Mulk took off for Swat on the very first weekend after taking charge. You went to pray at the graves of your parents and to meet your hometown friends and relatives. This was gracious and thoughtful. But you used an official helicopter and over 20 government vehicles for a trip which was personal and private and paid for by tax payers’ money.

There is an opportunity for you to redeem the situation you have been trapped into by overzealous bureaucrats. Simply ask the finance department to send you a bill of all expenses incurred in this visit and refund the amount from your pocket. This unique act would shake the dead conscience of the state, kindle a new ray of hope for 210 million gloomy Pakistanis and set a high standard for those arriving after you.

Naeem Sadiq

Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2018