PTI's 100-day ambition

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) unveiled a 100-day plan in the event that the party is in a position to form the next government at the centre that would focus on formulating policies transforming governance, strengthening the federation, revitalizing economic growth, revolutionizing social sector, uplifting agriculture sector and ensuring the country's security. Critics may question why the party has not deemed it appropriate to begin work on these policies today; however, the answer is obvious: data available today is heavily manipulated to show a positive state of the economy that is not rationalized with alternate government data sources and/or independent economists' sources. Once in government available data would be more credible though one would assume that the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics would have to be directed to no longer engage in fudging. If a PTI government succeeds in simply ensuring quality data that by itself would enable it to take informed decisions in a timely manner the party would have contributed significantly in improving the quality of its own decisions.
There is absolutely no doubt that the country needs a major overhaul in governance, an overhaul that requires relevant education and experience to be the major determinants of promotions; perhaps the apex court's recommendations in this regard which were initially followed by Nawaz Sharif administration and later rejected as the three-man committee, staffed by men of integrity, did not recommend/select Nawaz Sharif's preferred candidate, may be revitalized. There is little doubt that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) has improved governance during PTI's five-year rule particularly in delinking the police from any political interference and ensuring that hundreds of thousands of 'ghost' employees as well as frequent absentees from public positions are appropriately dealt with.
Imran Khan, in his speech, committed to strengthening the federation and subsequent to the five-year PML-N administration this particular aspect does indeed need strengthening. Nawaz Sharif and his cohorts limited their development mega projects to Punjab in general and Lahore and northern Punjab in particular. Recommendations of smaller provinces were rarely sought, as indicated by the rare Council of Common Interest meetings, particularly during the four years and one month of Nawaz Sharif's administration which generated considerable angst in Sindh and KPK. Hence this is an area that requires considerable work and one would hope that PTI is able to undo the damage by the PML-N in this regard.
Asad Umer, the PTI shadow Finance Minister, referred to revitalizing economic growth as a priority. Considering that the PML-N administration has always boasted about raising the growth rate to the highest levels for decades this statement reflects Umer's justified scepticism about the data released by the PBS. Additionally, he noted two components of this strategy, among others, that include building 5 million houses and promoting tourism. The latter is not possible unless a significantly higher improvement in national security environment is ensured. Umer mentioned some industry-specific measures, including repayment of refunds, equitable taxation system and a business-friendly environment to revive the economy and reduce dependence on borrowing.
Umer made no comment about the budget or the party's priorities in terms of expenditure but he did note that reforms would be undertaken in state-owned entities (SOEs) including PIA, PSM, railways, gencos, discos and others, and given that the cumulative combined losses of SOEs is over 1.2 trillion rupees per annum (4 percent of GDP) his suggestion that these entities would be taken out of the purview of line ministries and a Pakistan Wealth Fund created are welcome.
Jahangir Tareen focused on emergency measures for the agriculture sector - a sector that has suffered considerably during the PML-N administration. He committed to providing financial assistance to farmers, inclusive of improved access to loans, research and making the country self-sufficient in milk products.
A growing number of the politically disenchanted may point to the PML-N 2013 election manifesto being equally if not more detailed and economically sound than the PTI's first 100 days in power seminar (though admittedly the bulk of the manifesto promises were not fulfilled) yet what needs to be acknowledged is that the PTI has made a difference in KPK on a number of issues, particularly in governance, that remain prevalent in other provinces. One would however hope that some work is under way within the party ranks to deal with the country's rising indebtedness; for example, would the country opt to go back on an International Monetary Fund Programme with its debilitating conditions or whether the party would opt to slash current expenditure by convincing the major stakeholders, civilian and defence personnel, to volunteer to take a considerable cut in their annual allocations for the economic uplift of the country.