19-point agenda for PML-N: A taste of its own medicine

Shahbaz Sharif ordered Ameen to be shifted from Rahim Yar Khan to Lahore after his parents abandoned him.

LAHORE: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Thursday came up with its own set of proposals for the Punjab government to counter PML-N’s 10-point agenda that the latter had handed to the federal government with a 45-day deadline. In effect, the junior partner in the Punjab government let the PML-N have a taste of its own medicine.

Punjab Senior Minister Raja Riaz Ahmed told a press conference that the provincial parliamentary party of PPP had sent a 19-point agenda to the chief of PML-N Mian Nawaz Sharif for improving the performance of the Punjab government.

The PPP has asked Sharif to remove corrupt provincial ministers whose portfolios were changed in the recent past over corruption and negligence charges.

The party has also demanded holding of local government elections as early as possible and action against officials responsible for failure of Sasti Roti and food stamp schemes.

All contractual appointments made on the basis of political affiliations of retired officers should be terminated immediately.

The party’s agenda document also notes ruefully that the performance of provincial departments was zero. It demands that the provincial ministers should be fully empowered to run the given departments independently. The chief minister should hold monthly cabinet meetings which is mandatory under the law.

Development funds should be distributed among the coalition partners according to the agreed formula and appointments of Zakat and Market committee members should be made on merit and in a transparent manner. A strong strategy should be outlined to overcome the financial crisis faced by the government.

Action should be initiated against officials with bad reputation and future postings should be made on merit and seniority basis, Punjab’s senior minister said.

It was observed that a lobby benefited from the relief and rehabilitation operation launched in the flood-stricken areas. It should be held accountable over misuse of funds.

It was pointed out in the PPP agenda that the crime rate had jumped in the province. The government should take practical steps to curb criminal activities in the best interest of the public, it said.

It was further demanded that all task forces should be abolished immediately and the government should discourage turncoats to strengthen political culture in the province.

Development funds on the pattern of federal government should be provided to female legislators and prices of edibles should be strictly monitored. The minimum wages should be fixed at Rs7,000 per month.

Raja said the PPP Punjab chapter had not set a deadline but if these demands were not considered, “then we could explore all options, including approaching the people”.

He said PPP was a coalition partner of the Punjab government but Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif “did not take the issues pointed out by our ministers seriously”.

He said now PPP was demanding that Nawaz intervene in the affairs of the Punjab government for the best interest of the public.

Published in The  Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2011.