PTI reveals 100-day plan ahead of polls

• Imran says party better prepared this time for elections
• KP-FATA merger, creation of South Punjab province part of reforms agenda 
• PTI promises to add 10m jobs, promotion of tourism, tax reforms, construction of 5m houses, and tree plantation drives if it comes to power

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday claimed that this time around the party is better prepared for the election than 2013 as the PTI presented first 100 days agenda if elected as the ruling government in the upcoming elections.

PTI leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak and former secretary-general Jahangir Tareen — who was disqualified as a lawmaker by the Supreme Court last year — presented parts of the agenda at an event in Islamabad.

Addressing the event, the PTI chief said, “the purpose of disclosing the agenda is to change the pre-existing policies,” and added the agenda includes transformation in governance, revitalisation of economic growth and ensuring the country’s national security.

“PTI has prepared for elections in such a manner for the first time,” said Imran Khan, adding that in the last elections the party was busy conducting intra-party polls.

“A civilised society is not known by how many big houses are constructed in defence housing authorities, or now in Bahria [Town], but how people in the slums live,” PTI chief Imran Khan said. “These 100 days reflect the path for which the country was made,” he said.

Khan, making multiple religious references in his address, said that he envisions a Pakistan in which a leader is accountable even for the death of an animal.

All policies under this 100 days agenda will look into how to make education, employment and other basic rights accessible to the common man, said Khan.

Khan said that the temperatures in Pakistan were rising because of climate change which is a reality and that its effects can only be mitigated by planting more trees. He regretted that the party’s Billion Tree Tsunami project in KP was criticised by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) despite being acknowledged by international organisations.

He also criticised the incumbent government for being in a hurry to inaugurate projects using examples of the Orange Line Metro Train in Lahore and the new Islamabad International Airport. “Have you ever seen Mahathir Mohammad or Nelson Mandela cut ribbons?” he asked, adding that nation-building, not inauguration of some projects, is the real achievement.

The event commenced with PTI Vice-President Shah Mehmood Qureshi addressing the audience.

During his speech, Qureshi claimed the PTI to be the only party with a complete federal outlook. Chiding the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), he said once a national party, the PPP was reduced to a provincial entity as the party scrambled to protect their interests in Sindh.

“The first initiative will be to merge of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with KP to upgrade the socio-economic position of the tribal areas,” he said.

The second and third points were about mainstreaming of ‘marginalised’ people and creation of South Punjab province. Qureshi then stressed on uplifting the economic and living standards of Karachiites.

A special plan would be created to bring the poorest of the countries districts at par with others, he announced.

Following Qureshi’s speech, Asad Umar also presented the economic highlights of the proposed agenda, which included the provision of jobs and the promotion of tourism.

He said that a policy to create 10 million jobs within five years would be formulated which would focus on the provision of skills to youth. He added that the party [PTI] would promote the manufacturing industry and pave the way for the speedy growth of small and medium-sized businesses.

He announced that the government guest houses would be turned into hotels and made available for the public and that four new tourist spots would be discovered within the first 100 days.

Transforming Pakistan into a business-friendly country, tax reforms and construction of 5 million houses are also among the main points of the proposed 10-point economic policy.

A “Council of Business Leaders” would be created to improve Pakistan’s global business standing. He also said that “Pakistan Wealth Fund” would be created to fund institutions such as the Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan Steel Mills and power distribution companies to bring revolutionary changes in them.

Umar also guaranteed the end of the power crisis if PTI is elected as the ruling party. Furthermore, he stated that the party would turn the ongoing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into a revolutionary project and improve the citizens and industrialists’ access to capital.

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.

“PTI would protect the rights of women and ensure their progress in society,” Khattak said, adding that “the provision of clean drinking water and a tree-plantation campaign would also happen”.

PTI leader Jehangir Tareen also spoke to reporters on the occasion and outlined the agricultural policy of the party.

“People call agriculture as a backbone but despite resources, no government worked on it. We are 40 years behind in agriculture research,” Tareen lamented.

The PTI leader said that the party would impose an agricultural emergency if elected, and would make farming a profitable profession once again.

He added that the research gap will be bridged, subsidies targeted and loans provided to farmers for fertilizers.

Following Tareen, Shireen Mazari said that a national security organisation would be formed if the PTI comes to power. She promised improvements in the 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 bring madrassahs into the national mainstream.

The PTI’s plan comes as political parties are preparing for the elections with the announcement regarding the caretaker prime minister and the date of the General Elections 2018 expected soon.

On the other hand, Adviser to the Prime Minister Amir Muqam Sunday said that Imran Khan’s 100-point plan was just a swing in the air, and is unreal just like their slogan of change in 90-days.

He said this while addressing a press conference in Peshawar on Sunday.

Muqam said that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) gave votes to the PTI on the slogan of change, but there are no changes at all in the 90-days as claimed by PTI. “Now a 100-day plan is just a swing in the air. It is another hollow slogan of Imran Khan,” he added.