DAWN Editorials - 6th March 2025

[faheemustad]

Road ahead

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently celebrated his government’s one-year performance scorecard as a testament to its success in “steering the country out of multiple crises”. He spoke glowingly on the macroeconomic stabilisation achieved thus far, which has been made possible with the help of a bailout package from the IMF, assistance from friendly countries, and sharp adjustments in the domestic market which, though they have inflicted unbearable pain on ordinary citizens, have also helped tame runaway inflation.

Mr Sharif’s exuberance may be excused — the present government faced extremely daunting challenges from the get-go, and it deserves to give itself a pat on the back. Admittedly, a more hard-nosed assessment of what the country has gained and lost over the past year may yield more sobering reflections, but as far as political statements go, this one, at least, wasn’t completely full of hot air. It is hoped, however, that it hasn’t made Islamabad lose sight of its bigger goals.


As an opinion published recently in these pages warned, what comes next should be giving the PM sleepless nights. The macroeconomic stability he has been extolling will start seeming meaningless as pressures build to show economic growth. Ordinary people have seen their purchasing power decimated over the past three years, and now that prices seem to be stabilising, they will soon start expecting a return to their old standards of living.

Once that pressure takes hold, this government’s survival will depend heavily on managing public expectations and delivering a path to prosperity that can avoid the pitfalls of past models to engineer growth. This, by no means, will be an easy task, especially if one factors in the seismic changes expected in international finance as the US’s priorities turn increasingly inward, as well as the festering socio-political instability at home.


On the latter, it should be noted that where the government has achieved success in achieving macroeconomic stability, it has failed to improve social conditions or address political instability. The model it has chosen to respond to various existential challenges — use of overt and excessive power — will prove counterproductive once it starts needing public support during the critical transition from stability to growth.

It is well understood that the economy cannot improve till public sentiment improves, and public sentiment cannot improve if the state continues to act against public wishes. This, of course, is an entirely self-inflicted limitation and one which now requires some difficult measures to remove. However, there are no other options but to take the rocky road. Socio-political stabilisation should now be the government’s top priority. Otherwise, the fruits of its labour will not reach the masses, and the immense political price it has paid for stability will have been for nothing.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2025


Restoring hope

THE disillusionment of Balochistan National Party chief Akhtar Mengal should give all democratically inclined Pakistanis cause for concern. Talking to the media at his Kot Wadh residence last Saturday, Mr Mengal expressed considerable disappointment over what he sees as the capture of the electoral process by non-political powers. “Neither politics nor democracy is intact in the country,” he is reported to have said. Resenting the fact that past political alliances abandoned their commitments to Balochistan once they achieved their short-term goals, Mr Mengal pointed out that where the Baloch people were simply asking for development, basic facilities and constitutional rights, they are now agitating against unconstitutional actions and fundamental rights violations as well. While Mr Mengal may be seen by some as just one politician among many, the fact that he is one of the few Baloch nationalists who have invested deeply in mainstream politics and participated actively in the democratic process cannot and should not be disregarded. Indeed, his opinion is a canary in the coalmine, an indicator of how well-meaning citizens of the province view their relationship with the state. It would, therefore, be a grave error to ignore his apprehensions.

As the situation in Balochistan grows more fraught, the state needs to recalibrate its strategies and seek out all possible means of containing the unrest. One of the most obvious and prudent ways to do so is to cede more space to local political representatives so that they can raise their constituents’ concerns in parliament and address their needs with the resources that have been made available by the state. Unfortunately, the Balochistan Assembly is not seen as being representative of its constituents, and there have been frequent complaints that politicians from the province are not fairly elected to parliament. This concern was also aired by Mr Mengal on Saturday. In the absence of ‘real’ representatives, it is understandable why the citizens of Balochistan have grown increasingly alienated from the state. Though Mr Mengal has resigned from the National Assembly, it is necessary to keep him and other representatives of the people engaged in the political process. The people of Balochistan have as much right to shape provincial policies as the citizens of other provinces. This right should be restored as a priority. The rest will gradually fall in place.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2025


Cruel customs


THE recent rescues of two Asian black bears — Rocky from Jauharabad and Sunny from Jhang — remind us how the horrific practices of bear baiting and dancing bears continue in today’s Pakistan. Rocky, a seven-year-old bear forced into 35 brutal fights, arrived at Islamabad’s Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre with multiple bleeding wounds on his face and back. Meanwhile, three-year-old Sunny was found emaciated, her teeth forcibly removed to render her defenceless, and displaying signs of extreme anxiety — all common in the dancing bear trade. Both animals had nose rings embedded in their sensitive flesh, used to control them through pain and fear. These two traditions — bear baiting, where bears are chained and attacked by dogs for entertainment, and dancing bears, where cubs are tortured into performing unnatural movements — are shameful relics that must be shunned. Despite being illegal for decades, these customs persist in rural areas where law enforcement is scarce and public awareness remains limited.

Why are such cruel spectacles so rampant? For one, there is economic desperation among handlers, who keep these animals as a source of income. Then, there is a lack of education about animal welfare. What many fail to recognise is the ecological importance of the Asian black bear, a vulnerable species whose numbers continue to dwindle in Pakistan. Organisations such as Four Paws International deserve commendation for their rescue operations. But individual rescues are not enough. To eradicate these horrible practices permanently, we need strengthened legislation with harsher penalties, expanded resources for wildlife authorities, community education programmes in vulnerable areas, and alternative livelihood options for bear handlers. The removal of Sunny’s nose ring symbolises, as Four Paws’ Dr Khalil noted, “her last dance”. The government must commit to the welfare of these magnificent animals. No bear must be forced to dance or fight again.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2025