One of Dawn's editorials today dissects the PPP's recently unveiled 2018 manifesto and calls out the programme for basically being the 2013 copy plus minor tweaks.

In 2008, the party laid out similar plans. It vowed decisive action on water security, poverty alleviation, labour policy reform, energy security, empowerment of women, and enhancement of the rule of law. The 2013 document made almost identical commitments. — an excerpt

The manifesto is trite, gives short shrift to press freedom and women's rights, and makes vague statements regarding civil service reforms. But most of all, the editorial states, there are no guarantees of this manifesto being implemented because similar promises were made in 2008 and 2013 too but nothing, or very little, came of it.

So why should the PPP be believed to do what it didn't the last two go-rounds. There is a slight reason for optimism and his name is Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari — so says the editorial.

Read the full editorial here and the full manifesto here.

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