Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Punjab President Ahsan Rashid has said that the PTI would complete its election preparation in the next two months and would grab over a 100 of the Punjab’s 148 seats in the National Assembly and will also be majority in the Provincial Assembly. He was talking to Pakistan Today in an exclusive interview. He said early polls were the only solution for the current political situation of the country and Senate polls and the continuation of the present government were not the answers to the country’s problems. He said justice, merit, rule of law, reforms in health sector, education and agriculture emergency in the country, police reforms and transparent system of paying taxes would be the main features of PTI’s elections manifesto.
He said politicians had brought the country on the verge of destruction and alleged that current parliament was the worst in the country’s history, adding that the PTI would change the fortunes of the country after winning the next elections.
He said Pakistan was facing a number of issues, as the Railways, PIA and Steel Mills had been destroyed, but the PTI was committed to streamline the whole system of the country.
Ahsan said the PTI was gaining popularity across Punjab, and the youth and others wanted a change in the country. He said they would also encourage women in participating in elections by giving them an opportunity through the party.
He said everyone had a right to join party and the current parliamentarians were joining the PTI, but they would acknowledge only honest peoples to come forward. “Our party is holdings meetings to set criteria to judge honest and well-reputed people and our preliminary board will give a decision on the subject after investigating the profiles of the candidates.”
He said the preliminary board would also see whether the ticket holders were involved in any criminal cases, as it was the vision of PTI Chairman Imran Khan that only neat and clean people should contest the elections. He said that the allegations that the PTI was the party of establishment were totally false since PTI wanted a revolution, which was something all the Pakistanis wanted. He said after coming into power, the PTI government would bring special programmes for the youth as they were sufferings due to the unemployment after getting education. Ahsan said 70 percent population of the country comprised of youth who were not satisfied with the political leaders and they supported the PTI.
He said they would spend five percent of GDP on education, as only educated youth could change the fortune of county, adding that India was allocating spending around 7 percent of GDP on education.
He said they would also focus on a uniform education curriculum and technical education in the country. He said the elite were not paying taxes, resulting in overburdening the poor, but they would bring a transparent system of tax collection, adding that the agricultural sector would also among the top priorities.
He said there would be no big change in the party and added that former information secretary Umer Cheema himself wished to be replaced and he would be given very important responsibility in near future.
‘2 months and PTI will clean sweep’
