Senior Journalist Suhail Warraich Paints Grim Picture of Pakistan’s Political Uncertainty and Investor Anxiety

Lahore – Renowned journalist Suhail Warraich has vividly described the deepening political instability and growing investor unease in Pakistan, attributing the prevailing chaos to the mysterious disappearance of “Faisla Bhai” – a metaphor for decision-making authority in the country.
In his latest column published in Daily Jang, Warraich uses satire and symbolism to portray the dysfunctional state of governance in Pakistan. He writes, “In our paradoxical household, Faisla Bhai has gone missing. Since his disappearance, no decision can be made – and when one is, it backfires.”
Warraich criticized the federal government’s contradictory decisions within the same fiscal season. Initially, sugar was exported citing a surplus, only to be imported later due to a feared shortage. He questioned how such conflicting decisions could be made by an “experienced cabinet” unless the real problem is the absence of clear, competent decision-making — symbolized by the missing “Faisla Bhai”.
Turning to agriculture, he lamented the declining cotton output and stagnant crop yields despite government subsidies and initiatives. The inability of the state to even purchase wheat from farmers, he argues, is a further sign of administrative disarray.
Investor confidence is also shaken. While promises of a foreign investment boom were made, the reality paints a different picture — even local investors are stepping back amid economic uncertainty and poor productivity rates. Warraich questioned how such a scenario could exist under a supposedly competent finance minister and deputy prime minister — unless, once again, decision-making itself is missing.
He further critiqued the government’s tax policy, which despite intentions to broaden the tax net, has mainly targeted the salaried class while failing to bring new sectors into the fold. The bureaucrats remain powerful, yet the absence of “Faisla Bhai” continues to paralyze governance.
Warraich sarcastically noted that even though the Prime Minister’s Office is staffed with highly trained, loyal, and competent officers — including six personal staff members working shoulder-to-shoulder with the premier — decisions still aren’t being made. “No one questions their competence or loyalty,” Warraich wrote, “but the system fails because ‘Faisla Bhai’ is nowhere to be found.”
Using literary metaphors, Warraich likened the situation to Bulleh Shah’s stolen bundle, where everyone knows something is missing but no one can find it. He detailed how Faisla Bhai once relied on “Performance Begum” to run the house — despite occasional mistakes, she kept the system afloat with ideas and energy. However, she was relentlessly targeted by “Step-Uncle Ehtesab Mian”, whose accountability crusade, aided by “Aunty Anti-Corruption” and “Begum Adalat”, pushed her into retirement.
As the web of conspiracies tightened, Faisla Bhai felt suffocated and ultimately withdrew from all matters, realizing his irrelevance in the new order. “From that day onwards,” Warraich concludes, “decisions stopped being made. Everything else is in place — capable people, good intentions — but without Faisla Bhai, the system remains stuck.”
The column ends on a satirical yet sorrowful note, calling for a metaphorical “missing person ad” to bring back Faisla Bhai, without whom, as Warraich puts it, “the garden of governance will not bloom.”