Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has dismissed the address of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz as a sop to the nation beset with myriad problems and a repetition of pious hopes and vague promises. "The people of Pakistan have heard too often similar tall promises made by rulers only to be broken with impunity", said Senator Farhatullah Babar spokesman of the PPP commenting on the speech of the Prime Minister.
How many times the nation will be hoodwinked with promises of socio-economic development, poverty alleviation, employment generation, speedy dispensation of justice, provincial harmony and dialogue with opposition political parties? he asked.
Half a decade ago the Prime Minister's boss General Musharraf also made similar promises, he said. It is a joke with the nation to invite the opposition for talks on the one hand and on the other hand to declare that the issue of President holding two offices has already been settled by the Parliament, he said.
He said that Shaukat Aziz would be remembered in the history of Pakistan as the one whose government paved the way for politicising the military and for piloting a bill aimed at making the army chief as the President of the country.
"It is the most dubious distinction of Shaukat Aziz to have allowed the rewriting of the civil-military equation on the terms of the military alone and thereby doing a lasting disservice to democracy and parliamentary supremacy".
Senator Farhatullah Babar said that before Shaukat Aziz became Prime Minister he promised 'lean, mean and efficient' government but ended up with a jumbo cabinet of over 60 members to buy off the loyalties of his own party men. Who will trust Aziz with the promises he makes?