ISLAMABAD: Terming Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) 100-day plan unrealistic, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz ministers on Tuesday challenged PTI chairman Imran Khan to compare development indicators in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa instead of decieving the public.
“The PTI has failed to implement the 90-day plan anounced in its previous manifesto during its five year term in KP. Now, it has come out with another plan to dupe the masses,” said Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal at a news conference.
He said the PTI-led government had been in power in KP for 1,825 days, adding that the public was seeking explanation from the party of the 90-day plan announced in 2013.
Flanked by Finance Minister Miftah Ismael, Iqbal said that instead of giving another plan, Imran Khan should first answer questions raised over the earlier plan given by the party.
“Whether it was curbing corruption, holding intra-party elections, executing energy projects or improving social sector development, the PTI-led government failed on all counts,” he said.
“How much of their 2013 manifesto have they implemented in five years?,” Iqbal asked.
The interior minister further claimed that Imran Khan’s claims were unrealistic and were lacking in imagination.
“His performance is ‘zero plus zero – equals to zero’.”
Further, he said Imran had adopted a tendency of clamoring all the time and not doing anything practically.
“He is a NATO – NO Action, Talk Only – commander, meaning that his words cannot be relied upon after the series of lies he has told to the public in the KP. ”
“The public has a right to know about the reasons for the KP government’s failure to implement its development plan.
“Actions speak louder than words. Let us not hoodwink people through rhetoric. Let us be realistic and gauge the progress on ground,” Iqbal said.
“It is not just a matter of 100 days. All of 1,825 days in government count,” he said, adding that the last five years were a test case for the three major political parties with PML-N having government in Punjab, and PPPP and PTI in Sindh and KP, respectively.
“Let us leave it to the public to judge the performance of the three parties in the upcoming election,” he said.
Iqbal said the PML-N had diligently implemented its manifesto of 4Es – Energy, Extremism, Education and Economy – and its efforts had been endorsed by international financial and ranking institutions as well. “Our progress in social sector has been exemplary. Economic growth [in the last five years] was the highest during the 13 year period. We added over 10,000 MW power to the system and above all, we shattered terrorist networks in the country.”
The minister said that when the PML-N government came into power in 2013, people were afraid of doing business in Karachi and Balochistan.
“Our government took the challenge to bring normalcy to Karachi, Balochistan and FATA, and we succeeded.”
Iqbal said, “It is easier to hurl baseless allegations but difficult to deliver on commitments,” adding, “all slogans of ending corruption, good governance, billion trees, metro bus service, better health and education proved to be hollow.”
The minister also took a jibe at Imran Khan for removng Justice (retd) Wajeehuddin for his party when the latter unearthed corruption in intra-party elections.
Addressing the press, Miftah Ismail held that the plan announced by the PTI would require annual spending of Rs1,600 billion.
He said according to PTI’s plan, Rs50 billion per year would be required in terms of administrative expenses for the establishment of a new province, while Rs120 billion would be needed for poverty alleviation.
To provide 10 million jobs, the government would need additional Rs140 billion, while Rs15 billion per annum would be required to reduce taxes on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector, he said.
On the PTI’s plan to reduce electricity tarrif and to announce a special incentives packages for the export sector, Ismail said Rs55 billion and Rs100 billion, respectively, would be needed for these tasks.
He said Rs100 billion would be needed to build five million houses and Rs160 billion to establish the wealth fund. He said the PTI would need another Rs80 billion per year to reduce taxes on diesel, and Rs40 billion to give subsidy on loans for farmers.
To provide clean drinking water all across the country, Rs240 billion would be required, while to complete 10 billion tree project, Rs25 billion per year would be needed, he said.
“The PTI will have to spend Rs8 trillion to fully act upon its 100-day agenda which is more than four percent of the country’s GDP,” Miftah said, adding that this would increase the debt-to-GDP ratio from its current level at four percent to over eight percent.
Further, he said that the PTI chairman had yet to tell the public how he planned to fund the projects. “We have increased GDP growth from three percent to 5.8 percent, brought inflation to under four percent, increased budget for social safety net by three times, increased agriculture growth to over three percent, increased per-capita income to $1,640, and reduced load shedding,” said Revenue Minister Haroon Akhtar.
Published in Daily Times, May 23rd 2018.
