BACK in January, if a tarot card reader had predicted that it was going to be a fabulous year for the Pakistani government, she (or he) would not have been denied payment. But boy, would she have turned out to be right! May onwards, it seems as if the government — and others in the vicinity — can do no wrong.
Islamabad (and Pindi) seemed to have been gifted with the Midas touch. Pushed into a conflict with India, it came out on top with an air combat that is being discussed around the world. The number of planes that Pakistan shot down is a topic no one can get enough of. But this wasn’t all. Even the communications battle was won hands down. And since then, there has been no looking back.
This was followed with a romance with the US that no one had predicted. There was a one-on-one lunch at the White House and then a few months later a meeting at the Oval Office where both the field marshal and the prime minister were present. And before, during and after these meetings, the US president can’t stop praising the country and its military leadership. Some put it down to the decision to nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel or give him credit for the cessation of hostilities in South Asia or lobbying. Regardless, it now appears to be a match made in heaven.
Along with this came warmer relations with the Middle East and respect that perhaps had been missing in the past few years. Pakistan now has a seat at the table in the Middle East, whether on discussions on Gaza or in relations with Iran — and also thanks to the Saudi-Pak defence pact, which has ears wagging everywhere.
If this weren’t enough, the government has been managing the IMF programme well enough so that no one fears any delays or any calls to ‘do more’ from the Fund. The missions visit Pakistan and leave without any major hiccups in terms of expectations or conditionalities, compared to the mess back in 2022.
Foreign policy miracles and numerous trips abroad still haven’t yielded the awaited manna.
And now there are no local challenges either. Legislation has taken care of all else. In the rest of the world, they may have forcible conversions but in Islamabad, we have forcible consensus, which allowed for the 26th and 27th Amendments to the Constitution. ‘Pesky’ judges have been reined in and the entire judiciary defanged with the government in charge. If this weren’t enough, immunity was granted to the president and field marshal. The opposition is now in jail or disqualified. If someone still wants to be a troublemaker, Peca is there to the rescue. Even reporting or commenting on cricket can get one in trouble. Journalists have taken note.
Is there anything left for Santa Claus to bring for the inhabitants of Constitution Avenue and Pindi?
But for those gossiping in the drawing rooms in Islamabad, there is one question left unanswered. The great foreign policy miracle and the innumerable trips abroad still have not yielded the manna from the skies that is anxiously being awaited. For the well-heeled, foreign policy success is not entirely a success if it doesn’t bring foreign rents for the state and good times for the former. This also allows them to let the vulnerable breathe.
So be it a lunch at the White House, or the defence pact with Saudi Arabia, or rumours about troops for Gaza, the relevant press release is scanned minutely for mention of aid, assistance or any such word that holds out the promise that the dollars-are-a-comin’. But so far, the press releases have let us all down.
As a result, ministers wax lyrical about foreign policy successes and point at the plane flying over, carrying the PM or the FM or the DPM to the next trip but the ordinary citizens get easily distracted by the grocery bill or the latest message from FBR. The more generous and patriotic among the citizenry may even have felt happy that government officials could burn jet fuel for Pakistan’s success and worldwide fame, although the former could barely pay the monthly petrol bill. The rulers can make pit stops in London while the ruled cannot even fly from Karachi to Lahore. But it’s all about loving your country. For another, who woke up to the news of another attack in the nearby town, the debate over whether Pakistan shot down five planes or six by an American publication may also not bring much joy.
The government ignores this just as some of us ignore the pressure of the ever-increasing waistline on the hapless button. Easy to do especially as the press/ media has also been reined in through hook and by crook and compelled to avoid the real stories out there. Be it the crisis in the agricultural sector, or the export and import of sugar or the whispers about corruption matters, few in the journalistic community are going to run with this.
But a government of boomer uncles trying to adopt a Gen Z philosophy of ‘delulu is the solulu’ will eventually end up like Joe Biden. By the time it will fall apart, no one will be interested in their side of the story, while dumping all the blame on them. More importantly, like Biden, they also have a narrow window to take decisions. After that, it will be too late.
And by this, I don’t mean they need to retire in time. But that if they don’t manage to improve the life quality of those paying the taxes and struggling with no purchasing power or get a handle on militancy, the photo ops abroad and foreign policy successes will be hard to wax lyrical about. Without improving the economy and addressing militancy, the successes in the air, the constitutional amendments and by-election wins will soon outlive their efficacy. The party is not going to last forever.
The writer is a journalist.
Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2025
