A DAY after the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar, fired a broadside against the government and speculated about the possibility of mid-term elections, Prime Minister Gilani hit back in equally strong terms. Declaring himself as the only constitutional figure with the right to call mid-term elections, Mr Gilani fiercely rejected the possibility and defended his government. Mr Nisar's comments on Monday had raised an important question: can the country afford change for change's sake? The answer: no. However, Mr Gilani's comments raise an equally important but different question: can the country afford a government just for the sake of being able to claim it has an elected, representative government? The country certainly needs an elected and representative government, but that is not sufficient. The country also needs a government that is interested in matters of governance. Unhappily for Pakistan and unfortunately for its citizens, the PPP-led coalition in Islamabad appears to have little to no interest in governance issues.

Examples of government indifference — and worse — to governance matters abound. At around the time the prime minister was verbally hitting back at the opposition in parliament, a few blocks away the government's economic team was struggling to explain to the IMF/World Bank what the government plans to do about the serious economic crisis afflicting the country. From tax reforms to power- and commodity-sector liabilities to fiscal and monetary-sector reforms, the questions put to the government by the IFIs and the international community are met with deafening silence. Government officials often talk about their concern for the plight of the ordinary citizen, but when it comes to taking decisions at the policy level that could alleviate the suffering of those citizens, somehow deeds do not match words.

Elsewhere, on the security front, while other elements of the state are struggling to find a winning counter-insurgency strategy in parts of Pakistan, the government appears to have little interest in helping out. Cities and towns across the country have been attacked, but the government has been unable to draw up a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy. Admittedly, many of the responsibilities for such measures will fall under the provincial domain, but the executive at the centre shows little interest in even prodding the provinces or taking the political lead. The PPP election manifesto was based on the five Es: education, employment, energy, environment and equality. Where has there been positive movement on any of those fronts? The prime minister is right, the country can ill-afford mid-term elections. Equally, however, it can ill-afford a government which doesn't govern.