LAHORE: This is apropos the story “Speaking out: Zardari blames PPP’s failure on foreign forces” (May 21). President Zardari has blamed local and global conspirators for the PPP’s political rout. The real problem with the PPP and its allies, as well as other political parties, is that they have taken their constituents for granted and expected them to blindly vote for them.
The top leadership of the PPP is responsible for its electoral rout in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan. After all, who was responsible for selecting highly controversial men who have been accused of financial impropriety for serving in top positions during the last five years? Can anybody justify the impotence of the state when it came to apprehending men accused of plundering billions of rupees from the national exchequer? Hundreds of thousands were left homeless by the floods in Sindh and they were left at the mercy of the elements, while the president considered it appropriate to visit France. The apathy of the previous government to the thousands of victims of the Hajj scam was shameful to say the least. Thousands of innocent citizens of Pakistan were killed in targeted attacks, not only in Fata, but in Karachi, the financial hub of Pakistan.
Tax evaders, instead of being arrested, were given a series of amnesties, in a country where the tax-to-GDP ratio is alarmingly low. The PPP, which over the years, had developed a constituency amongst the poor, lost it because of its discriminatory policy of selective power cuts that caused unemployment for millions of workers, who were laid off by industries which were forced to shut down, even in areas where electricity and gas bill payments were over 80 per cent. After the unfortunate and tragic demise of Benazir Bhutto, this party has completely lost its way.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2013.
