They introduced badly needed remedies that Benazir Bhutto mostly abandoned when she returned to power. Pakistanis are skeptical. The country's economy has never been in such bad shape. Agriculture, the biggest sector of the economy, is not taxed at all. The landowners' clout rivals the military's.
Foreign investment is scarce.
The government could earn some money from privatizing state-run banks or enterprises. But most are in such poor shape that no one wants to buy them. Burki has promised to abolish a number of state-run financial institutions and consolidate others to curb government spending and regulate finances. He is counting on being able to recover millions of dollars worth of bad loans. He plans to speed up and expand the country's privatization program.