The caretaker prime minister gave a recent statement that the economy was the foremost priority of the interim government. While the sole purpose of the caretaker setup is conducting elections in a ‘free and fair’ manner, the statements suggest the interim government is here for good.
PM Kakar said the government would ensure continuity in economic policies and further improve them. He is focusing on enhancing foreign investment under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) in agriculture and other sectors. The prime minister is giving long-term goals such as developing public projects, power sector reforms, improving the health and education sector, and increasing tax revenues.
The government has set highly-ambitious targets without providing the framework. It wants to improve the tax-to-GDP ratio from below 9% to 13% and increase tax collection to Rs9.4 trillion. Furthermore, it wants to boost exports to a whopping $80 billion from $28billion . In the coming days, the government could unveil even more ambitious goals.
The country needs economic reforms more than ever before. The IMF deal is certainly not enough. The caretaker government will have to face the situation when the economic crisis resurfaces again. Thus it is necessary for the interim government to have the authority to ensure the continuation of economic policies.
In this maiden cabinet meeting, the prime minister said the caretaker government does not have a perpetual mandate to serve the nation but will continue to do so. Days later, he was giving his long-term vision for the nation even though the interim goverment is meant to sit for a limited time. With no elections on the horizon, the prime minister is probably seeking to improve the economic situation.
In the process, the caretaker government should not forget its main purpose – conducting free, fair and transparent elections within the mandated 90 days. Although the timeframe is set to be missed due to the cumbersome delimitation process, the government should remember its mandate and not violate the Constitution.
