Pakistan

Implementing PML-N agenda: Sheikh refuses to give ‘artificial timeframe’

Federal, provincial government representatives to meet today to discuss RGST and other issues.

Zia Khan January 19, 2011

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday promised tangible steps to overcome ‘lapses’ in governance for steering the country’s ailing economy out of crises but declined to commit how soon the process could be initiated.

“Good governance is the key … we (will) focus on it,” Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh told the media after he briefed parliamentarians from allied and opposition parties on the current economic situation.

Lawmakers from the Awami National Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz were given a detailed presentation by the economic team on the grim challenges to the economy and what could be an appropriate way out.

At the heart of a series of meetings was a 10-point agenda the PML-N has set for the government.

Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Law Minister Babar Awan, Minister for Petroleum Naveed Qamar, Finance Secretary Suhail Ahmed and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Nadeemul Haq represented the government side.

Representatives from federal and provincial governments will meet again on Wednesday to take up contentious issues, including reformed general sales tax and cutting government expenditure.

Dr Sheikh said the recommendations from all political parties will be finalised by the end of this month.

PML-N’s chief negotiator Senator Ishaq Dar termed the meeting positive and said his party wanted other groups to own the agenda to make sure that Pakistan moves out of the current crisis.

But the enthusiasm appeared to fade away when Dr Sheikh refused to give what he described an artificial timeframe to initiate implementation of the agenda.

Experts say several points of the PML-N’s agenda are unattainable because the government will have to compromise its political support if all the things are implemented upon.The agenda envisages reducing non-development expenditures by one-third and downsizing the cabinet. Some of these steps can invite anger from within the ruling party if some of the ministers are discharged.

MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar said his party hoped the government will not try to push through with its own decisions and that suggestions from other groups will also be considered.

Senator Haji Adeel of ANP said the country’s economy needed a desperate breakthrough and was confident in saying that the common wisdom of the political leadership will be able to find a solution.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (2)

Nighat Jaffery | 13 years ago | Reply The major responsibility for strengthening democracy falls on the shoulders of the government. Here the government does not simply mean the federal government. It also implies the provincial governments that have an enhanced role in the political and economic domain after the passage of the 18th Amendment and the approval of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award. If Pakistan suffers from poor governance, a large part of this failure has to be shared by the provincial governments, especially the Punjab government, because Punjab is the biggest province so far as population and resources are concerned. Further, its ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is currently focused narrowly on condemning the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led federal government for all the current ills in Pakistan. The Punjab Government on one hand vows to defend democracy but cleverly on the other hand carrying to destabilize the nascent democratic system. The double standard of PML-N could lead to the devastation of this system. Sharif brothers must realize that they are democratic leaders and without democracy is nothing. I am also share the wound given by a dictator to PML-N yet not faded away and PML-N has started old bad ways of politics. PML-N is failing to realize there will be no to rescue them if once again a dictator coerced democracy to death.

barlas | 13 years ago | Reply The ruling party is not interested to implement .

Replying to X