“Hopefully history will remember me in good terms.”
This was the summary of the press conference held by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while leaving power in 2014. What is his role in history? This can be inferred from the fact that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government has announced a week of mourning for the death of his predecessor and political opponent.
Dr. Manmohan Singh, known as the ‘Reluctant King’ during his first prime ministership and with a soft voice, is 92 years old on Thursday. Passed away at an old age. May he live a full life. He was originally an academician and economist, but he also established himself as a successful and unique politician.
Manmohan Singh was born on 26 September 1932 in the village of Gah in Chakwal district of Punjab in the United India. He has Masters from Cambridge University and Doctorate from Oxford. Apart from Hindi, he could also speak Urdu, English, Punjabi fluently. He used to write speeches mostly in Urdu, but also addressed in the same language. Manmohan Singh was the first Sikh Prime Minister of India. Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi were the third Prime Minister to serve two terms.
Professor Manmohan Singh was one of the few personalities who saw united India, partition, the rise of the Cold War in the 50s/60s and 70s, the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the 80s and the emergence of a new United States in the 80s. The period also saw the emergence of revolutionary technological changes that completely changed the global economy, society and politics.
Later in the 90s and the next two decades, the world was seen to deteriorate and change politically, socially and economically. After the partition of India, the Indian economy remained bound to traditional policies for four decades, government intervention was high in industry, trade and business. This era was the era of central planning. Five-year industrial and economic programs were organized in India in the style of Russia. However, in 1991, when the Indian economy suffered from serious problems, the IMF had to come to Astana. The $2.2 billion IMF program included strict reform conditions.
Seizing this opportunity as Finance Minister, Manmohan Singh launched far-reaching reforms based on his economic acumen as an economist, expertise acquired as State Bank Governor and analysis of the changing global, trade and economic landscape. By implementing these reforms despite strong opposition, he and the Congress laid the foundations of a modern industrial and commercial economy.
As a result of these reforms, traditional restrictions on the economy and unbridled government intervention were gradually reduced. Imports were eased, exports were encouraged, the rupee was devalued, and most of the loss-making public sector corporations were privatized. The process of promoting foreign investment began. The structure and organization of these revolutionary reforms were carried out under the leadership of Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister. The role of Congress Prime Minister Narasimha Rao in the formulation and implementation of these reforms is also noteworthy. As a result of these reforms, the Indian economy emerged as the fastest growing economy in the new world order.
The IT industry had also found its footing during this time. All these initiatives laid the foundation of a growth-oriented economic structure due to which later India developed at a growth rate of more than 8% and made its mark in every major political and commercial forum of the world. This was the time when Deng in China. As a result of the economic, commercial and industrial reforms implemented by Xiaoping, China embarked on a journey of miraculous development.
In the 90s, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand also started a journey of rapid economic development. And this was the time when Pakistan was a victim of political and administrative manipulation. A series of making and toppling governments continued. The economy got worse and worse, repeatedly going to the IMF for bailout packages. The people in power remained completely unrelated to the new economic world dollar order that took place in the world. As a result of economic liberalization, import tariffs were rapidly reduced, and a culture of indiscriminate disposal of indiscriminate imports started in the country. A balance of payments crisis gripped the economy permanently.
The result of the politicization of those in power was that the economic and industrial structure of Pakistan has become obsolete. The same problems that led to the economic crisis and mismanagement in the 90s are still more or less the same problems affecting the economy. The difference between living and stagnant nations is that living nations, understanding the fragility and need of time, break their shackles and create the spirit of a new journey. On the other hand, stagnant nations wipe away the tears of their oppression. Manmohan Singh, at the age of 92 years, has seen many periods of the world and with full diligence and good humor, his name was written among the builders of the new era of India.
On this occasion Shahab Jafari remembered his plight.
So don’t talk here and there and tell me why the caravan was halted
It is a question of leadership, we are not interested in bandits
