| Editorial on Perv's performance by Najam Sethi in The Friday Times... |
Five years ago General Pervez Musharraf made many promises. He has kept some and broken others. He has faced many problems. Some he has resolved while others remain. Some people are happy with him, some are not. How should one objectively grade his performance? What will be his legacy when he departs?
| One might even ask: what will be the manner of his departure? That will also have an influence on what his legacy will be. |
Six broad achievements can be credited to General Musharraf. - First, the economy was in the dumps in 1999. Today it is growing at 6%. We have a stable currency, a buoyant stock market, rising tax revenues, high forex reserves and home remittances. Inflation remains manageable. Manufacturing growth is poised to leap ahead while the agricultural sector boasts the best cotton crop in over a decade. Privatisation is proceeding apace. Regulation is being strengthened. Best of all, the IMF is packing its bags. Sure, the compulsions of 9/11 have much to do with the turnaround but if the opportunities hadn't been grasped and exploited, and the unpopular belt tightening not taken place, we would still have been floundering.
| We sometimes forget that Pakland does in fact have a growing economy, largely, in my barely informed opinion, the result of throwing the grifters and crooks of the Nawaz regime out and of privatization. |
|