Express Tribune Editorials 18th March 2025
Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 3:48 am
Anti-govt drive
With an anti-government mass agitation campaign on the cards, the beleaguered ruling coalition seems to be in a perpetual fix. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman's nod to join ranks with the PTI and other opposition groups will come as a real administrative challenge as the law and order situation is too precarious to hold water. The rising incidents of terrorism in K-P and Balochistan, where the JUIF too is on the receiving end, seems to have influenced the decision to take to the streets. The killing of JUI-F's Mufti Abdul Baqi Noorzai in an incident of firing in Quetta yesterday, and the back to back terror attacks, have apparently pushed the veteran leader to go over the brink.
Announcing the launch of a countrywide protest movement, the JUI-F took no qualms in calling the sitting government "illegal" and lambasted it for "rising corruption, deteriorating law and order situation and its paranoid approach to merely focus on Punjab". Fazl, who is widely regarded as an ally in shadows on his role in repeatedly salvaging the government during crises, surprised many as he took on the President and the PM in person for "lacking credibility and legitimacy" and "not being true representatives of people". This is more than enough to cement an understanding with the PTI that has solely been in the eye of the storm for its anti-government narrative.
The proposed street revulsion will, however, pose multidimensional threats as a renewed kinetic operation against terrorists is also being planned. Likewise, the simmering unrest among people with reference to bad governance and a plummeting economy can catalyse the anti-government drive. This necessitates a political approach to take out the steam, and the least that the perturbed coalition can do is to talk it out with the opposition by unconditionally releasing political prisoners and making amends in its autocratic governance. That is the only way to posit a united stance on the home front and solidify defences against the terror outfits. The onus is on the government to watch its steps.
Education emergency
Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, also leads in a far more troubling statistic - it has the highest number of out-of-school children in the country. A fact sheet by a nonprofit organisation has revealed that nearly 10 million children in Punjab are not receiving formal education.
This figure is not just an indictment of the education system but also a violation of fundamental rights. Article 25-A of the Constitution guarantees free and compulsory education for all children aged 5 to 16. Yet, the sheer magnitude of out-of-school children in Punjab exposes the failure of the successive governments to uphold this constitutional mandate. The situation is further complicated by the province's rapidly growing population. According to estimates, Punjab will require at least 19,000 new schools by 2040 to accommodate future generations. This demand underscores the need for immediate policy intervention. Punjab's education budget remains insufficient, with inadequate investment in school infrastructure, teacher training and curriculum development. Even in urban areas, the quality of education remains questionable. The provincial government's go-to solution appears to be outsourcing public schools to private entities. But this could ultimately deepen educational disparities between socioeconomic classes.
It is true that the government faces severe financial constraints, making large-scale educational reform challenging. However, a lack of funds does not mean reforms are impossible - it means the government must adopt a smarter, phased and resource-efficient strategy. Instead of fully relying on outsourcing, the government can maximise its limited budget through targeted interventions, public-private partnerships and governance reforms. One of the most effective ways to optimise limited resources is to prioritise fixing existing public schools before expanding the network. Alternative education models, such as evening schools and multi-grade classrooms, can be introduced in rural areas where building new schools is not immediately feasible.
Dug-up Karachi
We take years and years in constructing what is only a matter of months even for the not-so-developed countries. Well, we are talking of basic infrastructure projects like highways, flyovers, underpasses, drainage systems, etc that are hardly ever known to complete within the scheduled timeframe in our country. The ongoing transport infrastructure projects in Karachi are the notable cases in point. While our authorities do lack the modern technology available in the modern world to fast-track construction work, they also seem to lack the sense of seriousness and timeliness and the will to meet deadlines.
Under construction for as many as three years, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line project that mainly traverses University Road is not going to complete for another two years. A confirmation to this effect has come from none other than the Senior Sindh Transport Minister, Sharjeel Memon. Reason? Civil Aviation Authority has raised objection to the drainage system which will now be redesigned after being done half way. Also, power, gas and telecom utilities being operated by the government and private companies are also taking too much time to move their infrastructures, complains the minister.
Irrespective of the justifications cited for the delay, the bottom line for the public is that one of the busiest arteries of the city, spanning 19 kilometres or so, will remain dug up for God knows till when. And while hundreds of thousands of commuters will continue to endure an uncomfortable and risky journey on the patchy University Road, the Karachiites' wait for an affordable and reliable transportation system is not going to end any time soon. And it's not just the case with the Red Line, other five components of the BRT, called Karachi Breeze, are either partially operational or have yet to kick off. Whatever the reasons, the responsibility for a dug-up Karachi chiefly rests with the provincial government authorities.
With an anti-government mass agitation campaign on the cards, the beleaguered ruling coalition seems to be in a perpetual fix. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman's nod to join ranks with the PTI and other opposition groups will come as a real administrative challenge as the law and order situation is too precarious to hold water. The rising incidents of terrorism in K-P and Balochistan, where the JUIF too is on the receiving end, seems to have influenced the decision to take to the streets. The killing of JUI-F's Mufti Abdul Baqi Noorzai in an incident of firing in Quetta yesterday, and the back to back terror attacks, have apparently pushed the veteran leader to go over the brink.
Announcing the launch of a countrywide protest movement, the JUI-F took no qualms in calling the sitting government "illegal" and lambasted it for "rising corruption, deteriorating law and order situation and its paranoid approach to merely focus on Punjab". Fazl, who is widely regarded as an ally in shadows on his role in repeatedly salvaging the government during crises, surprised many as he took on the President and the PM in person for "lacking credibility and legitimacy" and "not being true representatives of people". This is more than enough to cement an understanding with the PTI that has solely been in the eye of the storm for its anti-government narrative.
The proposed street revulsion will, however, pose multidimensional threats as a renewed kinetic operation against terrorists is also being planned. Likewise, the simmering unrest among people with reference to bad governance and a plummeting economy can catalyse the anti-government drive. This necessitates a political approach to take out the steam, and the least that the perturbed coalition can do is to talk it out with the opposition by unconditionally releasing political prisoners and making amends in its autocratic governance. That is the only way to posit a united stance on the home front and solidify defences against the terror outfits. The onus is on the government to watch its steps.
Education emergency
Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, also leads in a far more troubling statistic - it has the highest number of out-of-school children in the country. A fact sheet by a nonprofit organisation has revealed that nearly 10 million children in Punjab are not receiving formal education.
This figure is not just an indictment of the education system but also a violation of fundamental rights. Article 25-A of the Constitution guarantees free and compulsory education for all children aged 5 to 16. Yet, the sheer magnitude of out-of-school children in Punjab exposes the failure of the successive governments to uphold this constitutional mandate. The situation is further complicated by the province's rapidly growing population. According to estimates, Punjab will require at least 19,000 new schools by 2040 to accommodate future generations. This demand underscores the need for immediate policy intervention. Punjab's education budget remains insufficient, with inadequate investment in school infrastructure, teacher training and curriculum development. Even in urban areas, the quality of education remains questionable. The provincial government's go-to solution appears to be outsourcing public schools to private entities. But this could ultimately deepen educational disparities between socioeconomic classes.
It is true that the government faces severe financial constraints, making large-scale educational reform challenging. However, a lack of funds does not mean reforms are impossible - it means the government must adopt a smarter, phased and resource-efficient strategy. Instead of fully relying on outsourcing, the government can maximise its limited budget through targeted interventions, public-private partnerships and governance reforms. One of the most effective ways to optimise limited resources is to prioritise fixing existing public schools before expanding the network. Alternative education models, such as evening schools and multi-grade classrooms, can be introduced in rural areas where building new schools is not immediately feasible.
Dug-up Karachi
We take years and years in constructing what is only a matter of months even for the not-so-developed countries. Well, we are talking of basic infrastructure projects like highways, flyovers, underpasses, drainage systems, etc that are hardly ever known to complete within the scheduled timeframe in our country. The ongoing transport infrastructure projects in Karachi are the notable cases in point. While our authorities do lack the modern technology available in the modern world to fast-track construction work, they also seem to lack the sense of seriousness and timeliness and the will to meet deadlines.
Under construction for as many as three years, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line project that mainly traverses University Road is not going to complete for another two years. A confirmation to this effect has come from none other than the Senior Sindh Transport Minister, Sharjeel Memon. Reason? Civil Aviation Authority has raised objection to the drainage system which will now be redesigned after being done half way. Also, power, gas and telecom utilities being operated by the government and private companies are also taking too much time to move their infrastructures, complains the minister.
Irrespective of the justifications cited for the delay, the bottom line for the public is that one of the busiest arteries of the city, spanning 19 kilometres or so, will remain dug up for God knows till when. And while hundreds of thousands of commuters will continue to endure an uncomfortable and risky journey on the patchy University Road, the Karachiites' wait for an affordable and reliable transportation system is not going to end any time soon. And it's not just the case with the Red Line, other five components of the BRT, called Karachi Breeze, are either partially operational or have yet to kick off. Whatever the reasons, the responsibility for a dug-up Karachi chiefly rests with the provincial government authorities.