The Pakistan government’s decision to ask an eminent economist to step down from an advisory role, after facing criticism from a hard-line Islamist party, is disappointing, shocking and a step in the wrong direction.
When Prime Minister Imran Khan was sworn into office recently, many around the world expected the suave former cricket captain to bring about a much-needed change in governance in the country. He has promised to fight corruption, create jobs and build millions of homes. And as soon as he was sworn in, he introduced a raft of measures to curb profligacy, receiving praise from around the country.
Unfortunately, Imran has tripped at the first hurdle when it came to backing a nominee on the Economic Advisory Council. Atif Mian, an MIT-educated professor at Princeton University, who some believe could win the Nobel Prize in Economics in the near future, was asked to step down from the council after coming under pressure from hardliners on account of being a member of the Ahmadi religious minority. The Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims, but their beliefs are seen as blasphemous in most mainstream Islamic schools of thought.
After initially backing the appointment, the U-turn by Imran will likely be seen as a caving in to the right-wing Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party, which demanded Mian’s removal and has held violent street protests in the past year. “For the sake of the stability of the government of Pakistan, I have resigned from the Economic Advisory Council, as the government was facing a lot of adverse pressure regarding my appointment from the Mullahs (Muslim clerics) and their supporters,” Mian tweeted.
Since his removal, two other prominent economists have resigned in protest from the economic council.
Mian’s appointment had raised hopes that Imran, who had fanned anti-Ahmadiya sentiment during this year’s election campaign, would run a more tolerant government and push back against religious extremism. But these hopes have withered.
At a time when Pakistan is trying to boost its economy, the advice of eminent economists would have given the government a fillip. Getting rid of advisers on religious grounds does not help the prime minister or the country. Pandering to Islamist hardliners may keep Imran in the prime minister’s seat, but it will not benefit the nation. Imran must realise that caste, creed and religious beliefs must not stand in the way of good governance. If the people of Pakistan are to gain, Imran must stand firm and take decisions without fear or favour.
