Parties in PA yet to deliver on promises

MPAs not playing active role in solving public problems, claim analysts

KARACHI:

It has been over a year since the general elections were held in the country. In Sindh, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) presented their manifestos, in which promises were made to the people, including solutions to their problems. After the elections, the PPP came to power in Sindh.

Parliamentary analysts claim that despite receiving salaries and benefits, public representatives in the Sindh Assembly are not playing an active role in solving public problems. Instead, analysts are of the opinion that the government and the opposition will have to play a comprehensive and coordinated role in solving public problems, instead of blaming each other.

Express compiled a report on the manifestos of political parties and the performance of members of the Sindh Assembly. Dr Nasreen Aslam Shah, a former professor of the Department of Social Work at the University of Karachi, said that political parties present their manifestos in every general election, and those held on February 8, 2024, saw the PML-N and its allied parties forming the government at the center, the PPP forming the provincial government in Sindh, and the people electing members of the Sindh Assembly with their votes. However, if the manifestos of the members of the Sindh Assembly and parliamentary parties are reviewed in general, most political analysts believe that the people will not be satisfied with their performance.

Dr Shah stated that the members of the Sindh Assembly belonging to the opposition need to raise a unified voice in the assembly to solve public problems because they can convey the voice of the people to the rulers, while the members of the ruling party should also further strengthen their role in this regard, as the people are not interested in politics but in solving their problems. Hence, the PPP will have to take more steps to fulfill its promises, while the opposition needs to be more politically active to solve public problems.

According to the Sindh Assembly website, the total number of members is 168, including 117 from the PPP, 37 from the MQM-P, 9 independent members supported by the PTI and one member from JI. The number of members supported by the PTI is likely to increase due to the change in reserved seats after the Supreme Court's decision. Further, assembly members receive a monthly salary of Rs153,000 including allowances, while a daily travel allowance of Rs2,000 is also given during the session. The total annual salary expenditure is Rs300 million. However, according to analysts, the salaries of members of the Sindh Assembly remain lower than those of other provinces.

Further, senior journalist and parliamentary analyst, Muniruddin, said that the manifesto of parliamentary parties remained of utmost importance in past elections as the election campaign was run on the basis of this manifesto, but the manifesto had become a mere ritual in the general elections held from 2008 to 2024. The election campaign in 2024 was not based on the manifesto but on accusations.