The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Monday announced its election manifesto that lay emphasis on bringing reforms in education, health, economy, governance, corruption, terrorism, law and order, poverty alleviation, unemployment, industries and labour sectors.
While announcing the manifesto at the party’s headquarters Nine Zero, MQM Coordination Committee Deputy Convener Dr Farooq Sattar said his party had been striving to abolish the archaic feudal system that had gripped the country since long.
Guided by a practical philosophy, the MQM was striving to change Pakistan according to the vision of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal, who had envisioned a welfare state where everyone would have equal rights and there was no discrimination on the basis of colour, race, language, region, beliefs, sect and all other prejudices, he said. The MQM wanted a Pakistan where people could lead a dignified and honourable life, he added.
Dr Farooq said that all political and religious parties have announced their manifestos at the time of elections. Fanciful promises were made in front of the masses, but the real test would begin after such parties came into power and when their manifestos had to be implemented, he said. Dr Farooq said that all promises made to the public have to be fulfilled by the rulers, while adding that every party talked about the poor people and got votes from them but if the political parties that have ruled the country many times had actually implemented their manifesto, the situation of the country and the people would have been very different now.
Furthermore, Dr Farooq said that the MQM believed that the circumstances of the poor and middle-class people could not change unless they elected the future leadership from among themselves. We believe that only those people can understand and solve the problems being faced by the people who have themselves faced those problems in their lives, he added. Those who have not faced any problems in their lives could neither understand nor find solutions for the problems that were presently being faced by the people.
From among the many salient features of the MQM manifesto, two are as follows.
Education
•Dual systems of education would be abolished and Urdu-medium institutions would be brought at par with English-medium institutions.
•Budgetary allocation for education would be raised from 2.2 percent to five percent of the GDP and an outlay of 20 percent would be reserved for education in the provincial budget.
•Free books, uniform and transportation facilities would be provided to school-going children.
•Steps would be taken on war-footing for providing free and compulsory education to children between the ages of 5 to 16 years in order to raise the literacy rate.
•Madaris (religious seminaries) would be brought in to the mainstream system of education.
Health
•Budgetary allocation for providing better healthcare facilities would be increased from 0.6 percent to five percent of the GDP. Hospitals would be built in tehsils, districts and villages for making health facilities accessible to all.
•Training institutions would be established in each district for nurses, health visitors and other paramedical staff.
•Low cost insurance policies would be introduced.
•Laws for organ transplant and illegal trade of cadaverous organs would be strictly implemented.
