KARACHI, Feb 14: A comparative reading of the manifestoes of the major political parties shows that their agendas are generally repetitions with lofty promises about the reformation of Pakistani society.
The unpredictability of the country’s politics is apparent, amongst other things, in the fact that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Awami National Party (ANP) released their manifestoes before the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on Dec 27. The tragedy changed the ground realities, which has necessitated a drastic shift in the focus of the political parties.
The political platform that President Musharraf has chosen, the PML-Q, continues to make tall claims of robust economic growth although the much-vaulted trickle down effect of the Shaukat Aziz policies is barely in evidence. The country is beset by crises that include inflation and sharp price-hikes, rising poverty and unemployment, a worsening law and order situation and the collapse of the system of governance. In addition, the centre-province relationship has deteriorated badly over the water issue and the distribution of financial resources under the NFC, while military operations are underway in both Balochistan and the NWFP.
It is little surprise, therefore, that for the average voter in Karachi, generalised agendas leave much to be desired. The issues of the city’s residents, who come from across the country, would without doubt have a far-reaching impact on inter-provincial and the centre-province relationships and therefore on the country’s demographic profile.
Virtually every political party in the running for Feb 18 is promising the empowerment of the citizenry, the revamping of the system of governance and provincial autonomy in a democratic dispensation. Beyond that, their priorities tend to differ.
In their manifestoes, the PPP and the MQM dwell at some length on the system of local governance while the ANP focuses its energies on provincial autonomy. The PML-N, which remained undecided for quite a while about contesting the elections, concentrates mainly on the issues of judicial independence, media freedom, the restoration of “true democracy” and the routes through which military intervention in governance can be blocked permanently.
As the industrial hub of the country, Karachi will be in particular interested in how the political parties implement their promises in terms of anti-labour laws, the lifting of the ban on trade union activities and checking unemployment caused by privatisation amongst other things.
Provincial autonomy and governance issues
In the context of provincial autonomy, the PPP promises that the Concurrent Legislative List will be abolished and provinces will be given their due share in their natural resources.
According to its manifesto, the PPP will ensure that the distribution criteria for the NFC award takes into account contribution to revenues, the physical (geographic) size of the province, its population levels and the status of its development indicators. Rates for natural gas and the royalty formula will be determined in line with the 1973 Constitution while all companies engaged in exploration or the extraction of natural resources will be required to train local people and allocate funds for social development. The PPP further promises that provinces will receive part of the proceeds when a federal asset in that province is sold, that octroi will revert to the local governments and be collected by them, while sales tax will also be progressively returned to the provinces.
The MQM, on the other hand, believes that the unresolved issue of provincial autonomy is the biggest contributor of distrust between Pakistan’s federating units. The party wants a national dialogue leading to consensus among the units so that the issue can be settled in a manner that benefits the citizenry, particularly those in the smaller provinces.
The MQM proposes that the federation retain control over defence, foreign affairs and currency, while other areas should fall into the domain of the federating units. In addition, says the manifesto, there should be an Inter-Provincial Council for promoting harmony between the federation and the provinces, and amongst the provinces. In the context of governance, the party wants the federal or provincial cabinet – rather than the prime minister or the chief minister – to take all policy decisions, which should strictly follow the law.
The PPP, meanwhile, believes in a three-tier system where the government works on the federal, provincial and local levels and each tier is autonomous. Its manifesto states that the system of local government introduced by the military regime has been manipulated for political ends, and promises to revamp it in line with the party’s devolution plan.
The party intends that primary education, basic health, water supply, sanitation and population welfare should be looked after by local governments, and the deputy commissioner will perform the functions of the DCO. During elections, meanwhile, caretaker district government would be established. The PPP agenda does not refer to community policing or other such measures.
On the other hand the MQM is proposing measures to check the influx of people from rural areas into urban settlements that are being overburdened. The party believes that infrastructural development and industrialisation must take place in all parts of the country.
Downsizing the army
The ANP is the only political party to address the issue of Pakistan’s armed forces and the expense incurred by them. The party believes that Pakistan cannot afford to maintain such an unwieldy army and proposes that the forces be not only downsized, but that army personnel be trained to take part in productive processes. It promises that defence expenditure will be reduced to an affordable level and the country’s defence will become the joint responsibility of the federation and its units, with the latter having the power to raise militias. The ANP also guarantees that the civil and military bureaucracy will not be allowed to interfere in politics and that all past military intervention in political processes shall be accounted for.
Unlike the MQM’s generalised wording, the ANP is far more specific in its promise to revolutionise the structure of the state and government. The party plans for each federating unit to be autonomous in its regional matters with the federal government retaining control over currency, external affairs, communication and defence only. Furthermore, each federating unit will have the right to utilise its resources to its own advantage as long as the interests of another federating unit are not harmed. The federal legislature shall be bicameral, the House of Representatives shall be chosen on the basis of adult franchise and equal representation shall be given to all the federating units. Meanwhile, the party pledges to ensure the rights of each nationality on the basis of equality, and every nationality will have equal opportunity to take part in state affairs. The ANP also recognises the ethnic and linguistic rights of every minority and guarantees the cultural and linguistic heritage of every community. This recognition of the right to self-determination of the various nationalities in Pakistan – which is a multi-national country – is likely to be received well by nationalists and increase the ANP’s support base in other provinces.
Civic issues and the energy / housing crises
From Karachi’s point of view, the proposed agendas of the MQM and the PPP should be given serious thought because an impartial third tier of governance would usher in real prosperity for the people.
The MQM believes in the unity of “Command”, ie a single administrative agency for municipal services and revenue collection, which is controlled by the city / district nazim. This, the party believes, could effectively deal with problems such as the provision of water and electricity, sewerage and solid waste disposal, master planning, land usage and allocation, health, education etc.
The party also wants the control of the traffic administration in all metropolitan cities to be shifted from the police force to the respective district governments.
In this regard, however, well placed sources told Dawn that the MQM was in the provincial government in the recent past and a Jamaat-i-Islami-led city nazim was at the helm in Karachi, but the third tier of governance was denied the sort of authority the MQM refers to in its manifesto.
Similarly, the party also promises the introduction of environmentally-friendly buses in all districts and a rapid mass transit system by the private sector fitting into the overall City District Transport System with a regulatory board under the nazim. However, Karachi’s citizens are suffering due to the withdrawal of such buses that were introduced earlier by the city district government Karachi.
The PPP, meanwhile, focuses on energy issues and promises energy security through a programme whose key elements include the maximum use of indigenous water and hydrocarbon resources, energy conservation and suitable pricing to ensure proper use whilst protecting consumers.
Specific measures will include encouraging private sector energy projects, promoting exploration and the development of indigenous hydrocarbon resources (including the Thar coal project), and accelerating the development of alternative energy sources. The PPP promises to revive the Keti Bunder project, establish an energy corridor from Central Asia to Balochistan and develop a sustainable programme for universal energy provision.
In a city where a sizeable chunk of the population lives in katchi abadis and is comprised of migrants from across the country, the PPP’s slogan of ‘roti, kapra aur makan’ is certainly attractive.
It promises to develop and implement a comprehensive programme to enable low- and middle-income families to own homes across the country. This programme will include the release of government-owned urban land, changes in zoning, land titling and foreclosure laws and the provision of sustainable long-term credit.
Education and unemployment
To improve the vital sector of education, the MQM intends to abolish what it refers to as the currently dual system where educational institutions for the poor have difference standards from English-medium schools. This, says the party, can be done by raising the standard of the Urdu-medium schools. It has promised to increase the education expenditure from 2.2 per cent to 5 per cent of the GDP during the next five years and that a minimum of 20 per cent of the provincial and district governments’ revenue expenditures will be allocated for education. The party is advocating compulsory education, which would be available for free up to Matriculation or its equivalent level, for every child.
The PPP has pledged to universal enrolment by 2015 of all children aged between 5 and 10 years. It also promises education of a higher quality in all regions through public and private sector colleges, universities and institutes. The manifesto says that the quality of existing colleges and universities will be improved and the number of public sector institutions, particularly those specialising in science, engineering, medicine and agriculture, will be increased. Funding for these institutions will be regulated through quality assurance boards of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), while funding to private sector universities will be increased through competitive programmes.
It intends to revive the Apna Ghar scheme, which is a free boarding school for socially or economically disadvantaged children. This plan was initially adopted by the PPP in the 1996 budget but was dropped by subsequent governments.
It will lift the ban on student unions but arms will not be permitted on campus.
The party also promises to reform madrassahs to end what the manifesto calls educational militancy, which is reflected in the proliferation of political madrassahs. The PPP intends to ensure that no militia force is able to carry out such activities under the guise of a madrassah.
Meanwhile, the MQM believes that all-out incentives are needed to bring their syllabi and teaching standards in conformity with mainstream education. Given that unemployment amongst educated people has reached alarming proportions, the PPP has pledged the establishment of a Literacy and Health Corps Scheme with the twin objectives of providing short-term employment to educated people and to assist with social policy goals. The scheme will guarantee employment for two years to everyone who has completed the Intermediate, Graduation or Post-graduation degrees in a given year.
It also intends to put in place a comprehensive targeted anti-poverty programme and ensure water security for irrigation and clean drinking water. The country’s coastal population has been promised training and micro-credit facilities as well as the facilities and infrastructure required to raise this sector’s export potential.
As far as the issue of media freedom is concerned, the MQM and other political parties have promised independence but the level of their commitment remains to be seen. The media have, in the past, been targeted by pressure groups and political parties.
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