The business community is fiercely critical of politicians for playing risky power games at the cost of the economy and the people.

They find the conduct of legislators eroding whatever little is left of business confidence to reverse the grim economic situation.

“I doubt if they understand the economic consequences of any political misadventure at this critical point of history. The country cannot put up with their theatrics,” commented a frustrated corporate executive.

“The EU Parliament has yet to clear the GSP Plus facility for Pakistan next month. The hopes raised by IMF monitors in Islamabad have to materialise in December. What if the West decides to react and withhold support,” he asked.

“The State Bank should brief politicians on how long can the country hold oil import bills and delay debt repayments. To stand tall, you need legs of your own. Policymakers must focus on growth and development to command respect in the world,” he said sarcastically.

Reacting to the killing of the militant fugitive a few days back, the Nawaz Sharif government coined the term ‘drone attack on peace dialogue’. Initially, PTI leader Imran Khan announced to immediately suspend Nato supplies through KP, the province ruled by his party. Later on, he gave the deadline of November 20, if the federal government did not. The PPP and others chose to use the incident to put the government on the back foot by orchestrating walkouts from the Senate.

The earlier suspension of Nato supplies had ended in July last year after seven months. The government had blocked the supply route while reacting to US strikes on the Salala check post in Mohmand Agency, bordering Afghanistan, on November 26, 2011. The stoppage hurt the US-led coalition, which spent 10 times more in transporting crucial military supplies to Afghanistan.

The closure of land routes through Pakistan cost $100 million per month to the US-led coalition, as it moved supplies by air or through longer, more expensive routes from countries in the north of Afghanistan, US media reports revealed.

According to media reports, Pakistan also lost goodwill in Western capitals, besides the fee it charged for the use of this facility. The passage of supplies from Karachi to Kabul and Kandahar generated business for the logistics industry of Pakistan, which also suffered due to the suspension. The total value of cumulative private and public sector losses was projected to be around $800 million over the seven months.

“The loss to the US and Pakistan during the last round of suspension might match, but the mismatch in the size and depth of the two economies mean that the impact must have been far more damaging for Pakistan as compared to the biggest and most advanced economy of the world,” commented another key business leader based in Lahore.

Business leaders in Sindh and Punjab oppose any move to suspend the routing of Nato supplies through Pakistan. Their counterparts in KP and Balochistan, however, take a different posture and sound desperate. They plead for the settlement of the issue of militancy once and for all. They are also indifferent to the path the government chooses.

Chairman KP Board of Investment Mohsin Aziz, who is also a former chairman of Aptma, observed that “for businessmen of Lahore and Karachi, security might be one of the many issues. For us in KP, it is time to do or die. We have faced the music during three long decades; now our patience is running thin. The war has devastated whatever little we had”.

“Instead of preferential treatment for rebuilding all that we lost in a war that was imposed on us, the provincial industry gets a pittance of the share of gas that Punjab uses. I am sorry, but for me it is a long dark tunnel with not even a glimmer of light at the other end,” Aziz told Dawn over phone from Peshawar.

Kamran Mirza, CEO of the Pakistan Business Council, felt that any misstep of politicians may compromise public confidence in the democratic system. “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face,” Mirza reacted to the suggestion of cutting off Nato supplies.

“Democracy does not just mean agitation. It also means legislation and better governance. The political leadership must take into account the whole spectrum of repercussions on the economy and the public’s struggle to survive in a lagging economy when deciding its course of action or reaction,” he said.

“I do not believe that the political hype over the issue is in sync with public sentiments. The public wants jobs, price stability and the right to live in peace. I think the government and the opposition need to focus on the economy instead of point scoring against each other,” he added.

Mohsin Khalid, former president of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, argued against extreme actions that could entail serious economic consequences. “It would be stupid to take on all the world at the same time. Rational thinking people, businessmen or others cannot support extreme actions, as it would amount to shooting one’s own foot,” he remarked from Islamabad.

Majyd Aziz, a former president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was also critical of the line of thinking that advocates snapping of ties with the US.

“The anxiety is reflected in the currency market, where the rupee is sliding again. In modern times, no country can survive in isolation. Any policy that leads to distancing Pakistan from the developed world can not serve the country or its people well,” he said.