Known journalist Wusatullah Khan has penned a sharp and entertaining satirical column in BBC Urdu, targeting the IMF’s latest report on corruption in Pakistan.
Titled “What can the IMF and company do to us?” the piece draws a humorous comparison between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a cruel, nitpicking father-in-law who constantly monitors every rupee earned and spent in the household.
The result, he writes, is a suffocating and irritating environment for the daughter-in-law and children—much like the pressure the IMF places on Pakistan’s rulers and economic managers.
He takes the IMF–Pakistan relationship and likens it to a typical setup in many eastern societies—particularly in Pakistan and India—where the father-in-law tightly controls the household finances. In his analogy, Pakistan’s ruling elite behave like the spendthrift daughter-in-law and children whose extravagance has carried on unchecked since 1958, despite the stern warnings and financial scrutiny imposed by the “father-in-law” — the IMF.
IMF’s Technical Assistance Report:
Pakistan first received an IMF bailout in 1958 and has since entered nearly 23 bailout programs with the global lender.
Compiled at the request of the Pakistani government with the participation of the World Bank, the 170-page report focuses on federal institutions and entities, excluding governance in military and provincial departments.
Wusatullah Khan, in his characteristic witty style, makes a bold satirical claim. He writes that the “daughter-in-law and children” have already mastered the art of deceiving the “father-in-law.” The situation, he quips, has escalated to the point where the state and its ruling elite might as well hang a board in the household reading: “Do not compel us to make progress or development.” Using typical Urdu expressions, Khan suggests that the daughter-in-law and her children have bluntly told the father-in-law to stop lecturing them on careful spending.
National Income Distribution Inequalities in Pakistan:
The IMF report, which has been posted on the Finance Ministry’s website, highlights stark inequalities in Pakistan’s economy. It notes that 20 percent of the population consumes 50 percent of the nation’s income and resources, while 1 percent of the ruling elite controls 9 percent of the country’s wealth. In contrast, the bottom 20 percent of the population has access to only 7 percent of the national economy.
The report also points out a worrying trend in the middle class. Unlike neighbouring countries, where the middle class is expanding, Pakistan’s middle class has shrunk from 42 percent to 36 percent. Meanwhile, the poverty ratio has risen from 39 percent to 45 percent in just two years, underscoring the deepening economic inequality and governance challenges.
