Relatively free and fair elections have been conducted in the country, without any major security lapse or untoward incident; that is a win for democracy and this nation.
The parties that had formed the coalition government during the previous tenure have been booted out due to their poor performance and inability to tackle the law-and-order situation, power shortages and improving macroeconomic fundamentals.
The PML-N has emerged with a strong mandate and given the severity of the challenges that lie ahead for the government; it will need it.
The foremost issue is to provide law and order to citizens, especially in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Karachi. Securing the borders and Pakistans role vis-à-vis the planned exit of NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2014, will also be a major challenge.
On the economic front, the countrys fragile external accounts and depleting foreign exchange reserves warrant urgent attention. Not only will the PML-N have the unenviable task of attracting foreign investments to the country; it will also have to put the fiscal house in order.
Raising taxes and doing away with blanket subsidies is unavoidable; whether or not the government goes knocking on the IMFs window.
This challenge will be particularly perplexing for the party, considering that its Chief, Mian Nawaz Sharif, is loath to implementing new taxes or raising existing ones. The Partys strong support among traders and businessmen is also strongly hinged on this tax-averse policy.
Prior to the elections, the manifesto published by the PML-N included a comprehensive plan for addressing the energy crisis in the country. The Party also has among its leadership, many experts within this realm.
The energy portfolio will likely be handled by none other than Shahbaz Sharif. Delivering on his successive promises of ridding the country of loadshedding will be a key test for the younger Sharif and his Party.
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