ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Sunday unveiled its action plan for the first 100 days in office — if the party is elected to power in the upcoming general elections.
PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak and party’s former secretary-general Jahangir Tareen presented the blueprint of the action plan at a local hotel here on Sunday.
The agenda included merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) into KP province, a political reconciliatory process for Balochistan, creation of South Punjab province on administrative grounds, transformation in governance, revitalisation of economic growth and beefing up country’s national security.
Imran Khan, who spoke at the end of the ceremony, said all the policies under the 100 days agenda will look into how to make education, employment and other basic rights accessible to the common man. “These 100 days reflect the path for which the country was made,” he said.
Before coming to the agenda, Khan said: “A civilised society is not known by how many big houses are constructed in Defence Housing Authorities or now in Bahria [town], but how people in the slums live”. He said he envisions a Pakistan in which a leader was accountable even for the death of an animal.
Stressing on improvement in governance and service delivery, PTI chairman criticised the incumbent government for being in a hurry to inaugurate projects and also cited examples of the Orange Line Metro Train in Lahore and the new Islamabad International Airport in this regard.
“Have you ever seen Mahathir Mohammad or Nelson Mandela cutting ribbons?” he asked, adding that nation-building, not inauguration of some projects, is the real achievement.
Imran Khan said the temperatures in Pakistan are rising because of climate change which is a reality and that its effect can only be mitigated by planting more trees. He regretted that the party’s billion tree tsunami project in KP was criticised by the PML-N despite being acknowledged by international organisations.
The event commenced with PTI vice-president Shah Mehmood Qureshi addressing the audience. He spoke about regional disparities and presented the plan for the merger of Fata into KP, a political reconciliatory process for Balochistan, as well as for the creation of South Punjab province on administrative grounds.
He said this would involve giving greater authority to the provincial government in Balochistan and making the development projects in the province more inclusive of the local population. He also said a federal plan would be introduced to improve civic amenities and the security situation in Karachi should the PTI come to power.
A special plan would be evolved to bring the poorest of the country’s districts at par with others, the PTI leader announced.
Qureshi claimed theirs was the only party with a complete federal outlook. Mocking the Pakistan Peoples Party, he said once a national party, the PPP has been reduced to a provincial entity as it scrambled to protect its interests in Sindh.
Asad Umar presented the economic highlights of the proposed agenda, which included the provision of jobs to youth and promotion of tourism. He said a policy to create 10 million jobs within five years would be formulated which would focus on the provision of skills to youth.
The PTI leader said the party would promote manufacturing industry and pave the way for the speedy growth of small and medium-size businesses.
He also announced that the government’s guest houses would be turned into hotels and made available for public and that four new tourist spots would be discovered within the first 100 days.
Transforming Pakistan into a business-friendly country, tax reforms and construction of 5 million houses are also among the main points of the proposed 10-point economic policy, Asad revealed.
A “Council of Business Leaders” would be created to improve Pakistan’s global business standing, he said. He also said that “Pakistan Wealth Fund” would be created to fund institutions such as the Pakistan International Airlines, the Pakistan Steel Mills and power distribution companies to bring revolutionary changes in them.
Asad Umar also promised the party would end power crisis, turn the ongoing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor into a revolutionary project and improve the citizens and industrialists’ access to capital.
KP CM Pervaiz Khattak promised that important changes to education and health system in the country would be ensured along with an expansion in the social safety net. He said that the party would protect the rights of women and ensure their progress in society.
The Sehat Insaf Card, currently only restricted to KP, would be expanded to the entire country and a total of 8 million families would be provided with income support, up from 5.4m families today under Benazir Income Support Programme, said Khattak.
Jehangir Tareen that the PTI would take emergency measures to make agriculture profitable for farmers. He promised financial help and better access to loans for farmers while also promising to make the country self-sufficient in milk-related products.
“People call agriculture as backbone [of country’s economy] but despite resources no government worked on it. We are 40 years behind in Agriculture research,” Tareen lamented, vowing to improve research in this sector to turn around the agro-economy.
Shireen Mazari said that a national security organisation would be formed. She promised improvements in the economy through a reformed foreign policy and the creation of a detailed national security policy.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be strengthened by revamping its legal and institutional capabilities,” she said. Mazari said that the national security policy would focus on uncovering contact between active and inactive terrorists, ensure implementation of the National Action Plan, curriculum reforms and bring seminaries into the national mainstream.
The PTI’s plan comes as the prospects of the party to win the elections, expected to be held in the last week if July, are becoming better – more so because of the disarray and confusion that has lately hit the ruling PML-N than PTI’s own performance.