I SHUDDER just thinking about the emerging political scenario. It seems even after the East Pakistan debacle we have not learnt the lesson. A constitutional government, in place on the power of the vote, is being put under pressure through street power.

I was witness to a similar long march in 1958, which began from Peshawar and intended to reach Karachi, which at the time was the federal capital. Though the march, led by Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan, could not cross Jehlum, it was used to prepare grounds for the 1958 Martial Law. Similarly, we saw how the Constitution was violated just weeks ago. That alone is enough to suggest that we have learnt nothing from our own past.

It appears that the only way out for the government is to pass a deflationary budget and show its commitment for taxing the rich to give relief to the poor. It should drastically reduce government expenditure and misuse of taxpayers’ money to give breathing space to the teeming millions who have been bleeding through their nose since 2019.

It is quite clear that greater unity and national consensus is the need of the hour.

Ali Ashraf Khan
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2022