“There is a disagreement among political parties on key issues or they are completely silent on them,” Sattar said. PHOTO: FILE
In the backdrop of pressing issues facing the country, manifestos of top five mainstream political parties are a combination of sheer confusion and hollow promises, said analysts and experts on Monday.
They were speaking at a discussion titled “five election manifestos-a comparative analysis”, organised on Monday by Kuch Khaas - Centre for Arts, Culture & Dialogue.
Senior lawyer and analyst Babar Sattar said that all the major political parties, through their manifestos, have claimed, in more or a less the same way, to resolve issues being faced by the masses, it has left the common man in bewilderment as to who to vote for.
“There is a disagreement among political parties on key issues or they are completely silent on them,” Sattar said.
He said that manifestos have talked a lot about education and health but on grounds it seems impractical.
“Take the example of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which claims to raise the literacy rate to 100 per cent. Now how come is it possible in country like ours to implement it,” he said.
Not any party has come out with clear stance on the role of religion, whether the state will be governed under Islamic tenets or any other form, he said.
Sattar added that no party has included the war on terror issue in its manifesto and all parties were almost silent as to how it was going to be tackled.
The speakers said that the manifestos were also silent on civil-military relations and agriculture tax.
While talking about the performance of the Pakistan People’s Party, journalist Zahid Hussain, said that they clung to power for five years but miserably failed to deliver.
Quaid-i-Azam University Prof Aasim Sajjad Akhtar said that political parties have no standpoint on property ownership and real estate.
“The biggest stakeholder in real estate in the country is army, but nobody has bothered to discuss it,” he said.
Gender Specialist, Naheed Aziz, said that all political parties have excluded women, girls and marginalised groups from their manifestoes.
She said that some parties have talked about repealing discriminatory laws, but how? she asked.
Aziz expressed her astonishment over the manifesto of the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl, which hinted at giving trainings to everybody on jihad.
She said that the manifestos were a general statements of intent.
Moderator Nilofer Afridi commented that it was a healthy trend that at least issues being faced by the common man were being highlighted.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2013.
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None of the parties came out with categorical commitment to bring back $500 billion earned in Pakistan but continued keeping in foreign countries. Similarly the expansion of tax net particularly nearly three million big wig evading tax would be brought in tax net and people be provided relief in indirect taxation. The detail of dams and other energy producing sources to be launched being mile stone for taking off economy is found missing in the manifestos. PML N has however been promising to resolve the thorny issue within two years but detail of estimated production must figure. Ruthless accountability and enforcement of rule of law is must bring the country on real track.
Imtiaz Khan Canada.
Well I guess you didn't take PTI's manifesto into account or didn't understand it. Because it deals with major issues and is realistic.