PML-N manifesto promises high growth, lower prices, poverty alleviation
Pakistan
Nawaz Sharif says some parties have no programme, chaos is sole goal
LAHORE (Web Desk/Dunya News) – The PML-N on Saturday unveiled the much-awaited manifesto for the February 8 general elections which envisages 6 per cent economic growth, reducing inflation, employment generation, women empowerment and improved relations with the neighbouring countries – with a message that the party represents May 28, not May 9.
SHEHBAZ WAS READY TO STEP DOWN
Three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif said Shehbaz Sharif was ready to step down soon after forming government in 2022, but decided against the planned move after the PTI chairman gave an ultimatum.
The move came, Nawaz said, as he was against forming the government and had initially advised for dissolving the assembly for elections, despite the default threat.
Nawaz said the PML-N paid the price by sacrificing the political capital for standing up for Pakistan and vowed that the party would strive hard to deliver the promises made in the manifesto.
He said presenting party manifesto and contesting elections after the removal of his government by the five judges and other conspirators as well as spending time in prisons was a strange feeling.
CHARTER OF DEMOCRACY
He wouldn’t have resorted to the actions for which the previous government [PTI] opted, said the PML-N supremo as he cited the Charter of Democracy signed with the late PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto.
The PML-N had serious differences with the PPP during its 2008-13 tenure, but he rejected the advice of leading the long march towards Islamabad instead of ending it Gujranwala as the struggle was meant for only the judges restoration, he recalled.
Nawaz said the advice for throwing the PPP government through protest was presented again and again; however, the PML-N stood by democratic principles and Charter of Democracy.
He also mentioned his visit to Bani Gala for developing political understanding, Nawaz mentioned as he listed the PTI response after that.
Some parties don’t have any manifesto as creating chaos is their sole goal, said the former prime minister who is eyeing a record fourth term in office, and also cited the response of the PTI chairman’s comments about “blackmailing” in response to the appeals made by the Hazara people in Quetta.
Nawaz noted that Pakistan was facing grave challenges with the economy being the biggest and recalled the low food prices during his last stint in government. Pakistan would have become a different place if the PML-N’s agenda wasn’t sabotaged in 1990s.
ONLY A FEW FULFIL THE PROMISES
Similarly, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif said the manifesto had three points: focus on human resources development for the youth, job creation and small and medium enterprises; boosting the agriculture sector through various incentives; and uniting the nation yet again after the years of poisoning their minds.
Nawaz had never promised in 2013 to end 20-hour of daily power outages and only vowed to work on the subject during his five-year term, but he ensured ending loadshedding within three years despite the sit-ins and other challenges.
Everyone presents manifesto, but only a few implement the manifesto, said Shehbaz who also questioned what the critics from the rival party – PPP – had delivered during its 15-year rule in Sindh.
The PTI government destroyed the state-of-the-art PKLI in Lahore only because of political vendetta and did nothing for the people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the PML-N president.
A LIVING DOCUMENT
Earlier, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, who is the head of the manifesto committee, said Lahore had witnessed sun after weeks of fog, which represented the rise of hope.
Nawaz had strictly forbidden making false claims and promises which could never be delivered, he said, adding that a total 32 sub-committees worked on different subjects and presented their suggestions since November 2023, which were later reviewed in detail for the final draft.
According to Siddiqui, the PML-N manifesto isn’t a collection of some simple. It is a detailed document, containing a range of subjects with an elaborated vision of the party for the future.
Besides the PML-N’s past achievements, the party manifesto also provides the details of the PPP and PTI governments so that the people could make a comparison, he explained to the audience.
The Shehbaz-led government’s biggest accomplishment was saving Pakistan from default, Siddiqui said and added that the PML-N was a living document and would be improved through suggestions in the time to come.
PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal said the manifesto was a foundation for making Pakistan one of the strongest economies by 2047 – exactly 100 years after independence.
