The more of a manifesto of his group of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) than a book with substance, subject matter and content, Humayun Akhtar Khan’s ‘Roadmap to Pakistan’s Recovery’ has been dubbed as his rhetoric-ridden “wish list” without any strategy to steer the country out of existing crises. The launching ceremony of what the author called a book was held with pomp and show at a local five-star hotel. The invitees anxiously waited for the book but it finally turned out to be a manifesto of a political party, leaving many disappointed.
Lt Gen (r) Talat Masood, who was a guest at the launching ceremony, told Pakistan Today that it was nothing more than a “wish list” of a an individual. “In Humayun’s book, only problems and challenges have been identified, which the people have already been identifying for decades… the question is how to bring about a change and how to integrate policies with each other… the writer is silent on the question about resource generation,” he said.
Masood said the greatest challenge confronting the nation was militancy and extremism. “But the book does not identify ways to curb the menace and control jihadi elements,” he said, adding that the Roadmap to Pakistan’s Recovery also did not tell about the PML-Likeminded’s exact policies vis-à-vis extremism. “There is neither a comprehensive strategy nor any policy on structural reforms… it is just a wish list of a political party,” he said, questioning why did he (Humayun) not implement those policies when he was minister during [Pervez] Musharraf’s regime?
Senior journalist and a newspaper editor M Ziaud Din also agreed with General Masood and said it was just a “wish list” having numerous contradictions. “There is no identification of avenues of finances for materialising the promises made by the PML-Likeminded,” he said, adding that the amendments could be introduced in the manifesto in the future.
A critical study of Humayun’s book reveals that it only points out challenges and problems commonly known by all and sundry but the author and his party – the PML-Likeminded – has failed to come up with implementable solutions to resolve persistent problems confronting the country.
For example, on Pakistan’s number one problem ‘terrorism’, the book gives no solution at all except telling the masses that “we have realised that confronting terrorism will require a combination of various policies in the political, social and economic areas”.
The book further states on terrorism, “If we are to address this threat we need to effectively examine the causes of extremism in our society.” It reveals that till today, the PML-Likeminded has failed to ascertain the causes behind hydra-headed monster of terrorism. At one point, the PML-Likeminded secretary general writes the PML considers religious minorities of the country equal citizens of Pakistan having the same rights as Muslims. “Minorities will have complete freedom of worship and the right to employment in all sectors of the state. We will undertake measures that ensure security of life and property of minorities,” says the author forgetting the fact that there is nothing new in his belief as all major political parties including the PPP, the PML-N, the ANP, the MQM etc share the same belief. The PML-Likeminded was supposed to tell how it would translate its belief into reality if it comes into power?
The chapter on foreign policy does carry two hand-shaking pictures of Humayun Akhtar with former US President George W Bush and King of Saudi Arabia Shah Abdullah but it lacks the vision on how to end war on terror and get rid of drone strikes. The Road Map to Pakistan’s Recovery supports the idea of creation of new provinces. “These provinces would be created, upon public demand, on administrative basis and convenience to the public and not on ethnic or linguistic grounds,” the book says. Here too, the author has not mentioned how his party will develop a national consensus on the issue. Just to support the idea of the creation of new provinces is not enough as currently almost all major political parties are raising slogans in its favour.
On accountability, the book suggests that “in order to establish ourselves as non-corrupt nation, we will create independent and strong anti-corruption institutions having no affiliation or association with any political party”. It is the same slogan as being chanted by the PPP-led coalition government for the last three years with nothing appearing on the ground.
Through Humayon’s authored “manifesto of the party”, the PML-Likeminded has promised to end the energy crisis in the country by constructing new dams and generating electricity with Thar coal. Throwing light on losses to Pakistan’s economy due to the country’s deal with the IMF, the book suggests, “We must get out of the IMF straitjacket and rely on ourselves.”
