Party sources cite approaching ‘long march’ as reason for the deferral. PHOTO: FILE
In view of Minhaj-ul-Quran International (MQI) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri’s ‘million-man march’, Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) delayed on Sunday the announcement of its party manifesto, prior to the 2013 general elections, party sources said.
“It is unlikely that the manifesto would be unveiled prior to Dr Qadri’s long march,” sources in the party told The Express Tribune.
PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had termed Dr Qadri’s arrival “a conspiracy”, and vowed to thwart every effort aimed at derailing democracy.
Even though Dr Qadri’s arrival brought the opposition and the government on the same page, PML-N has decided to delay the announcement of its manifesto, in the run-up to the general elections.
Experts within the party had been toiling night and day to meet the January 5 deadline, when a party convention was scheduled to take place in Islamabad to mark the anniversary of the creation of the Muslim League and to announce the manifesto.
According to sources, the party does not want its new manifesto to go unnoticed as the media’s attention, at this particular juncture, is on Dr Qadri and developments related to his long march.
Ahsan Iqbal’s version
Denying these claims, PML-N Deputy Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal said, “No, party Chief Nawaz Sharif wanted a little more [time to] deliberate [over] a clearer road map for [addressing the] Karachi and Balochistan crisis.”
Ahsan, however, did not give a date as to when these deliberations will be completed and the party will formally declare its manifesto.
Other speculations
Sources also claim that the party was considering making amendments to the manifesto in the backdrop of recent political developments in the country, while others cite the translation of the manifesto into regional languages as the reason for delay.
In its new manifesto, the PML-N has paid special attention to the economy and judiciary.
In order to clear backlog and make the judicial system effective, the manifesto is likely to introduce a proposal, according to which courts would work in two shifts or that there would be separate courts working in the morning and evening.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2013.
COMMENTS (15)
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it is my requested to the top leader of my party to a make a concrete plane for energy crises in the country rather people of my beloved land will not apologize you.
@fahd 18 yrs please elaborate when?details please sir
I really hope they have planned for more motorways! That would make my husband very happy!
@Fahd: @Matter of fact: Well said. Both of you have scratched the Noora League where it scratches the most.
“It is unlikely that the manifesto would be unveiled prior to Dr. Qadri’s long march,” sources in the party told The Express Tribune. There you are flip flopping all the time. Dr. Qadri has PMLN in a tight corner.
Assuming the PMLN paindoos can't even spell the word manifesto, what to talk of making one, copy/pasting (suggested above) IK's manifesto or the Muttaheda's will be more to their liking.
Salams
What will they do differently this time? More of Danish Schools? More of hospitals where doctors are given ample funds and facilities to administer the hospital and serve the patients? and Yes many more laptops and Helmets too!
@Pakistani: PTI has already released it's manifesto which can be found from these two links and it is clear cut...... http://www.insaf.pk/docs/PTImanifesto.pdf http://www.insaf.pk/docs/PTI-Final-manifesto-Urdu.pdf
@ Pakistani: seriously?? Noora league copies everything that pti does. After governing punjab for 18 years and being pm 2 times, noora league coming up with a revolutionary manifesto?? You have got to be kidding me. First tell us about your previous performance and your failures then we will discuss ur manifesto.
please PMLN don't release it now. PTI will copy it. release it near the elections.
PML-N transforming into a very mature political party... politically they took the right decision...
Please remember copy/pasting Imran Khan's will not do. You've been in power 6 times in Punjab for a cumulative 15-20 years, people know your manifesto and should watch a BBC documentary on it called "From Pakistan to Park Lane".
PMLN seems to have put a lot of time and effort behind this manifesto. Looking forward to learning about their plans.
The Maharaja of Raiwind & The Mayor of Lahore simply don’t condone any sort of political rising or freedom of expression. It’s an old tactic used by the British Raj
They spent 80 billion on a single road in Lahore, 120 billion on two actually. This is twice the amount of the entire South Punjab budget including flood relief!
Secondly when Pervaiz Elahi left, Punjab had surplus budget and the development was visible from Lahore to Dera Ghazi Khan. Instead of wasting money on laptops, the same money could’ve been spent to provide primary schools & teachers to rural areas esp. in South Punjab. The beneficiaries would’ve been at least a hundred times more in number.
Thirdly, going back to The Mayor’s son-in-law case, how did he get charged for “jhagra”? The bakery boy did no jhagra but only his job. The appropriate FIR should’ve been registered for kidnapping and torture – which are unbailable offenses.
Lastly let’s take Lahore’s development into perspective. Mustafa Kamal did much more development with much less resources in Karachi. Many more bridges/underpasses and sanitation/water pipelines were built. He couldn’t take the entire provincial budget for Karachi either yet there is no comparison in the visible work.
Leave everything aside, arrest Qadri and deport him back to his country.
According to sources, the party does not want its new manifesto to go unnoticed as the media’s attention, at this particular juncture, is on Dr Qadri and developments related to his long march. -> so PML-N itself thinks so little of its manifesto that it feels that a newbie will steal its limelight? wait a minute... do they even have a manifesto?!?