Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sunday unveiled its 100-day plan that seeks to outline what the Imran Khan-led party would endeavour to achieve in its initial first three months if voted to power in the upcoming general elections.
Transformation of governance, strengthening the federation, revitalizing economic growth, revolutionizing social services, ensuring country's national security and uplift of agriculture sector are listed as six prioritized sectors the Imran Khan-led PTI government would focus in first 100 days in power.
The party unveiled this plan at a ceremony held here which was attended and addressed by senior party leaders prominently PTI chairman Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, KP chief minister Pervez Khattak, Jahangir Tareen, and provincial ministers of the party from KP.
"The actual purpose of this plan is that when we are at the peak of our strength in power, we need to take the most difficult decisions that reflect the direction in which we are heading. It is a roadmap as to where we are going, our ideology and what matters we take a stand on," said Imran Khan said while elaborating the need for presenting 100-day plan.
He said it's the first time in his party's history that PTI is going into general elections with so much preparation. "This time around, PTI has at hands the valuable experience of governing a province like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We would not have been prepared this way had we taken government in 2013," he said.
PTI chief reiterated that Pakistan would be made a model country reflecting the concept of true Islamic welfare state. He said a welfare state does not see how the powerful can become more powerful rather it looks at how it can uplift its more deprived. During his speech, Khan criticized deposed premier Nawaz Sharif and idea of progress the PML-N believes in.
He said Sharif's narrative that "Why I am ousted?" purely reflects the idea of what the powerful think is their right; no accountability.
"Now suddenly they (PML-N) are scrambling to cut ribbons for orange line, for Islamabad airport even before implementing systems. Did you ever hear of Nelson Mandela cutting ribbons? Making motorways is hailed as a massive achievement. You build a nation and motorways will come themselves," he said.
He said PML-N's plan of development is limited to 'commission making' projects.
He talked about prevailing economic hardships, deteriorating environment, flawed taxation system, state of public education and religious seminaries, absence of merit system, politicized state institutions, etc.
He said projects like the CPEC are an opportunity but only if Pakistan extract the right benefit from it by putting its house in order. "More than CPEC, it is overseas Pakistanis who will help us by bringing in investment but only if governance is fixed over here," he said adding the country is in dire need of implementation of investment friendly opportunities. He said KP's model of governance would be implemented in whole Pakistan.
Speaking at the ceremony, the PTI shadow finance minister Asad Umar said that PTI government would create 10 million jobs in five years along with a special focus on skill-building, while under PM's Housing Programme some five million housing units would be constructed for the middle and lower income segments.
He said to facilitate rapid growth the PTI government would announce an immediate support package of reduced taxes, bring energy prices in alignment with regional competitors, clear the backlog of refund/rebates, launch a labour policy to safeguard workers' interests.
He said tourism industry would be focused and all government guest houses would be converted into hotels. He said FBR would be reformed and a business friendly and equitable tax policy would be implemented within 100 days to revive the economy and reduce debt dependence. "Pakistan will be made business friendly country through institution of 'Council of Business Leaders' chaired by the PM to improve "Doing Business" in Pakistan and to attract investment.
Umar said state owned enterprises would be transformed by creating the Pakistan Wealth Fund and by taking SOEs out of the purview of line ministries. "Reforms will be introduced in PIA, Railways, Pakistan Steel Mills, Gencos, Discos and other enterprises on an emergency basis," he said, adding Pakistan's energy challenges would be fixed and root causes of circular debt would be addressed.
He said an action plan would be launched to ensure translation of CPEC into a game changer for Pakistanis, while a plan would be developed to increase deposit base of banks to 50 per cent of GDP to encourage higher savings.
PTI vice chairman said that mostly about regional disparities and presented the plan for the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a political reconciliatory process for Balochistan, as well as for the creation of South Punjab province on administrative grounds.
He said that this would involve giving greater authority to the provincial government in Balochistan and making the development projects in the province more inclusive of the local population.
He also said a federal plan would be introduced to improve civic amenities and the security situation in Karachi should the PTI come to power. A special plan would be created to bring the poorest of the countries districts at par with others, he announced.
KP Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak recalled the party's initiatives and reforms brought in its five-year stint in power in the province.
He promised that important changes to education and health system in the country would be ensured along with an expansion in the social safety net. The Sehat Insaf Card, currently only restricted to KP, would be expanded to the entire country and a total of 8 million families would be provided with income support, up from 5.4m families today under Benazir Income Support Programme.
He said that the party would protect the rights of women and ensure their progress in society. Khattak also said that his party would ensure provision of clean drinking water and begin a tree-plantation campaign.
Jahangir Tareen spoke about the party's agenda for improvements in agriculture. He said that the PTI would take emergency measures to make agriculture profitable for farmers. He promised financial help and better access to loans for farmers while also promising to make the country self-sufficient in milk-related products.
He noted that the country is far behind others in agricultural research and vowed to improve research in the sector to turn around the agro-economy.
Following Tareen, Shireen Mazari said that a national security organisation would be formed if PTI comes to power. She promised improvements in economy through a reformed foreign policy and the creation of a detailed national security policy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be strengthened by revamping its legal and institutional capabilities, Mazari announced.
She said that the national security policy would focus on uncovering contact between active and inactive terrorists, ensure implementation of National Action Plan, curriculum reforms and bringing madressahs into the national mainstream.