Whose policy is it anyway?

Byline: Zahid Hussain

LAST week, the spectacle of the prime minister blaming an unidentified 'elite' for imposing a lockdown was bewildering. By doing so, not only was he disowning the actions taken by his own government but also contradicting his earlier statements. That leaves us wondering if there is anyone in charge in these times of an existential crisis. The confusion is alarming.

The remarks amplify the disarray in the federal government's policy on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Clearly, the country's top leadership sees the lockdown in the light of a 'cowardly' action that has only brought misery to the common people. Such scepticism over the shutdown may not be new, but irresponsible public statements make it harder for the administration to contain the spread of the disease.

Nothing could be more bizarre than the sight of federal ministers encouraging people to break the restrictions imposed by the Sindh government and that were among the decisions taken by the National Coordination Committee on Covid-19. Interestingly, the committee, which is chaired by the prime minister, had extended the nationwide lockdown until May 9.

Then there is also the National Command and Control Centre comprising senior civil and military officials coordinating the strategy. So do these government bodies represent the 'elite' that has been blamed for its 'anti-people action'? Ironically, the leadership is acting more like the opposition.

The leadership's whimsical approach is the biggest impediment.

By blaming some imaginary force for a policy that has the approval of all stakeholders, the prime minister can only undermine his own authority, for many people will see it as an admission of things slipping out of his control. It's true that the prime minister has never been convinced about the necessity for a lockdown. But his recent remarks were disturbing.

In fact, the federal leadership was caught by surprise when Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa followed Sindh in enforcing a lockdown in the provinces in mid-March. The provinces have also called in the army in aid of civil authority. The announcement had come despite the prime minister's public disapproval of a shutdown.

He had said that the Constitution allowed the provinces to take their own decisions regarding the lockdown, but later also appeared to take credit for containing the spread of infection. This contradictory stance from the nation's top executive authority had added to the confusion in...