Specifically, for what will our political parties contend in the next general elections Given that the great majority of their people anticipate substantial improvements in their social and economic circumstances following February 8, what pledges are they prepared to make to them?
It’s odd that we still don’t know, with less than three weeks till election day.
The PTI, PML-N, and PPP, the front-runners in the contest, have mostly refrained from offering specifics on their proposed forms of government. Admittedly, the PPP has released a 10-point action plan that it refers to as a “manifesto,” but considering how vague it is about how its lofty goals are to be realised, it scarcely qualifies as one. The PTI made one failed attempt before new threats to its existence started draining all of its resources, while the PML-N has been continuously postponing the release of its eagerly anticipated manifesto.
It is indisputable that the parties have had ample time to be ready. First off, elections were scheduled to take place according to the constitutional deadline, around three months after they became due. This implies that three more months were granted to the parties to complete their action plans.
In addition, Pakistan’s economic problems have been extensively examined over the past 18 months, giving the policy tsars of all the political parties ample opportunity and resources to devise their own recommendations for how to effectively tackle the problems. Last but not least, given how ardently the entire state apparatus has been advocating for a political reset, one would have thought that the parties positioned to take over, following the PTI’s downgrade to “non grata” status, would have some fresh ideas to garner support from the public. It’s obvious that nobody seems to be really interested in completing their schoolwork.
It appears that the parties are significantly underestimating the amount of work that awaits them in the event that they win power. It would not be simple to navigate Pakistan’s treacherous waters given the multitude of issues the country faces.
Regardless of whatever party forms the next administration, they will have formidable obstacles amid a moment of excruciating social and Voters, spectators, and pundits would have benefitted from having a reference document in this situatiSpecifically, for what will our political parties contend in the next general elections Given that the great majority of their people anticipate substantial improvements in their social and economic circumstances following February 8, what pledges are they prepared to make to them?
It’s odd that we still don’t know, with less than three weeks till election day.
The PTI, PML-N, and PPP, the front-runners in the contest, have mostly refrained from offering specifics on their proposed forms of government. Admittedly, the PPP has released a 10-point action plan that it refers to as a “manifesto,” but considering how vague it is about how its lofty goals are to be realised, it scarcely qualifies as one. The PTI made one failed attempt before new threats to its existence started draining all of its resources, while the PML-N has been continuously postponing the release of its eagerly anticipated manifesto.
It is indisputable that the parties have had ample time to be ready. First off, elections were scheduled to take place according to the constitutional deadline, around three months after they became due. This implies that three more months were granted to the parties to complete their action plans.
In addition, Pakistan’s economic problems have been extensively examined over the past 18 months, giving the policy tsars of all the political parties ample opportunity and resources to devise their own recommendations for how to effectively tackle the problems. Last but not least, given how ardently the entire state apparatus has been advocating for a political reset, one would have thought that the parties positioned to take over, following the PTI’s downgrade to “non grata” status, would have some fresh ideas to garner support from the public. It’s obvious that nobody seems to be really interested in completing their schoolwork.
It appears that the parties are significantly underestimating the amount of work that awaits them in the event that they win power. It would not be simple to navigate Pakistan’s treacherous waters given the multitude of issues the country faces.
Regardless of whatever party forms the next administration, they will have formidable obstacles amid a moment of excruciating social and Voters, spectators, and pundits would have benefitted from having a reference document in this situation so they could assess each party’s suitability for leadership at such a pivotal point in the history of the nation.
Sadly, the larger parties have opted for an ad hoc strategy, which is to seize power first and decide how to use it afterwards. They should learn from the Jamaat-i-Islami, which appears to have put a lot of time and effort into outlining its potential goals in the event that it is granted executive authority, despite its extremely low chances of success.