AFTER months of contemplation and all the hue and cry against the corrupt practices of previous ruling parties, the government’s rhetoric of ‘Naya Pakistan’ seems to be a damp squib.

The PTI’s economic reforms are no better than others. After a series of changes i.e., replacing the State Bank of Pakistan governor with an International Monetary Fund-based one, and the resignation of the finance minister, the government ended up with $6billion worth of IMF bailout package with stringent conditions — a practice long and repeatedly done before.

Surprisingly, this is the same amount that the country had already received earlier this year from its friends – the UAE and Saudi Arabia — with even $2 billion in cash.

Yet the economy is still exhibiting a bleak picture with staggering prices of common households, and the soaring dollar-rupee gap, not to mention precarious petroleum product prices, just to count a few.

It is time to be friendly with both China and America, though in reality it is near to impossible to take two steps together at a time.

Dr Ayesha Jamil Chaudhry

Lahore

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2019