Anatol Lieven, the British author, thinks Pakistan is a hard country. Life is indeed hard for millions of Pakistanis who spend a lifetime hovering around the poverty line.

While Pakistan is a hard place to live in, it is even harder to govern.

Economists and political scientists offer myriad reasons why that seems to be the case. There is, however, a simpler explanation: Irrational expectations.

Politicians help raise irrational explanations by making promises that they cannot possibly keep. At the same time, the public expects the world from the government with no regards for who will fund the services and products they expect from the government.

Also read: Unfit to lead

The vicious cycle of raising expectations and the inability to meet those makes Pakistan a hard, and at times, impossible place to govern. Irrational expectations must meet a rational end for the longevity and the stability of political tenures in Pakistan.

Promising immediate relief from chronic power shortages is a quintessential example of the ruling elite raising hopes and expectations of the masses, while knowing that they lack the capacity to deliver on those promises.

Raja Pervez Ashraf, former PPP minister responsible for power, was notorious for setting unrealistic deadlines to end power shortages in Pakistan. Later in his tenure, his press conferences offered comic relief because no one took his announcements to end the power outages seriously.

Jamaat-i-Islami has also been a master of raising irrational expectations. Since the Jamaat has always been a laggard in electoral politics, it has never been at a risk of winning elections and ultimately forming the government. It could, therefore, promise the moon to the electorate in its manifesto including raising the minimum wage, which has always been a central piece of its campaign strategy.