The hapless tenacity of serving tea-n-kewa, laminated with crunchy biscuits exists é unabated é in most the public offices despite the zest of a few sparkling wits by dexterous souls to effect economy-and – austerity with a singular intent to augment the national exchequer in a big way, — a pre-requisite for the manifestation of an affluent society.
Although it’s not a novel tradition yet one could visualize a change in the light of the straightforward efforts being made by a guileless pecuniary team, led by the dazzling Finance Minister, Shaukat Aziz, to spawn resources from miscellaneous springs to put the country onto a firm trail of progress and prosperity, an icon of a bona fide ‘supreme state’.
I always feel flabbergasted to view é whenever I visit an office — to hunt a story of people’s curiosity — that by and large every visitor is being entertained é setting aside the fact that ‘it is nothing except a course to put the both the valued time-n-national mammon at risks’. Such a gesture is accessible simply to the festive ones others are made-up ‘to wait in the swarming rooms for an infinite time’. Perpetually I feel pompous of being ‘a (so-called) celebratory’ yet nonetheless I get tormented over the dilemma of those waiting-outside, prima facie posing me to quit’ in a bid to clutch a jiffy to snap the persona é right from BPS 16-upwards to get their complexities rectified. Be sure this phenomenon is not in extant every where. There are many where adore- for- minimalism is evident é with full vigor é radiating from the judicious cores. Such species do give shrugs of love-n-affection to their callers yet they are a few. One wishes such a convivial scenario! all around to decode the axiom of Archimedes into a truth wherein the lurid theorist- of- the- time had said and I quote ‘ Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand and I can move the world’, indeed a well-founded aspire of a matchless fiscal aficionado, Shaukat Aziz, perceptibly zealous to take Pakistan to an altitude of lofty magnitudes with a down-to-earth outlook that ‘ an well-heeled nation — in the 21st century é has marvellous vistas to endure for a nascent future, free from reliance on every alien. I think if Aziz can make a far-reaching cut in the official expenses even at the highest level é evidently in line with General Musharraf’s policy vis-é-vis economy-drive, he should é simultaneously é issue a suo motu SOS, instructing all and sundry to seize the gratuitous seepage of funds ‘in the name of entertainment’ at-once. If Shaukat-backed by his candid team can take the foreign exchange reserves to an startling level of more than seven-billion dollars as! reserve é via a disciplined course é it is would be a petite measure for him to halt ‘lavish spends –explicitly in the semi-autonomous or autonomous bodies, an integral part of the government — to a permanent end’. Organizations é dealing with fascinating and alluring glamorous affairs é need a specific watch with gusto to obviate their stance of ‘a self-financing set-up and that no-one can raise eye-brows towards their demeanors’.
No doubt there is a total ban on smoking at public places. Yet it can é very convenientlyé be seen at multiple spots. A serious cognizance of this aptitude requires an equal attention. Virtually the ‘years-old fashion of amusement and smoking has to be clogged every where, may it be a public sector organ, a self-ruling body, a multi-national or a private office with a singular approach of ensuring a healthy-n-hygienic Pakistan, which should serve as a pictogram of an ideal land, absolutely free from pollutions of all sorts é socially, economically plus illustration of its true facet which is a picturesque-n-elegant place to visit for abode or as a tourist’.
The author is a noted journalist, political analyst and ex-Director News Pakistan TV.
