LAHORE: No responsible government can remain indifferent to the hardships endured by its citizens, who continue to bear the cost of decades of poor governance, fiscal mismanagement and the ruling elite’s reluctance to reform its own extravagant lifestyle.
We simply need the determination and political will to spare huge resources for development. If we start treating each citizen as equal. While ordinary Pakistanis are repeatedly asked to tighten their belts through higher taxes, rising utility tariffs and inflation, those in positions of power have shown little willingness to make comparable sacrifices.
There is no justification for the president, prime minister and his cabinet to live as luxuriously as they do these days. No one should be allowed to live in mansions. A decent three-bedroom house should be sufficient for all these posts including governors and the ministers in provinces. They should manage their kitchen from the salaries they get. They must pay income tax on their salaries and income as ordinary citizens do. The government servants of even the highest rank should also live in a maximum three-bedroom house and manage their kitchen and house care through their own means.
The parties even for foreign dignitaries should be banned at the residences of any minister, PM, CM, President or governor. The foreign guest should be entertained at the state guest houses. They must also stay in these guest houses which should be banned for all other officials. The officials should stay in private hotels or arrange their own stay at whatever place they like. This they should manage on the daily allowance that they get for this purpose. The daily allowance of any official or government functionary must not be more than 20 per cent of his/her monthly salary.
Protocols may be provided to the highest offices but by restricting protocol vehicles to four and duty personnel to 20. All others should not enjoy any protocol or if they feel threatened, they could leave the job and live as ordinary citizens. They could arrange private security if it is affordable for them. There should be a carpool in every city and district where at least two dozen vehicles are assigned to different officials or ministers. The vehicles could be provided on demand to the concerned officials subject to availability. Two vehicles must be kept for emergency duties.
There will be no need for petrol for individuals. The mobile phone limit must be restricted to Rs2,000. There should also be no free power units for anyone. All should consume power according to their income. The pension limit from government exchequer must be fixed at Rs200,000 with no pension for Parliamentarians. No retiree is allowed to employ any person on a government fund.
So, the first step towards restoring public confidence is for the state itself to live within its means. Just as households and businesses must align their spending with available income, governments too must ensure that public expenditure does not exceed the nation’s financial capacity. This requires eliminating wasteful spending, reducing non-essential perks and privileges, and curbing the culture of official extravagance that has long burdened the national exchequer. These wastages will stop once the above program is implemented.
Resources saved through fiscal discipline should not merely reduce budget deficits; they must be redirected towards improving public welfare. Greater investment in education, healthcare, clean drinking water, social protection and infrastructure will directly benefit citizens and strengthen long-term economic growth. Equally important is building a transparent and accountable system of governance in which every rupee collected from taxpayers is spent efficiently and subject to public scrutiny. Genuine fiscal responsibility begins at the top, and only by setting that example can the government earn the trust needed to undertake difficult but necessary economic reforms.
