News Analysis |
The Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has once again said that 25th July is going to be the day of “change” in Pakistan. He was speaking to a public gathering in Karachi to campaign for the upcoming general elections. Pakistan is all set to hold the general elections on July 25th. PTI is predicted to be the most powerful political force in the country and expected to win a considerable portion in the National and Provincial assemblies.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are facing existential threats for their inability to deliver when they were in the office. There are some other political, religious and ethnically motivated political groups but PTI has no formidable political rival at the moment. Imran Khan, therefore, looks confident this time.
The PTI chairman was addressing media after visiting different areas of the megapolis as part of his ongoing election campaign on Tuesday. He said that while coming from Lahore he saw the provincial capital’s condition and it was in dire state after heavy rain.
The public, media, political parties, judiciary and civil society are playing their parts actively to ensure a free and fair elections in the country. Parties are expected to be rigorously evaluated by the democratic-minded adult citizens across Pakistan.
According to media reports, at least six people were reportedly killed in various incidents across the provincial capital as a relentless downpour lashed the city since Monday night. Residents of Lahore lashed at the former Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif who always presented Lahore as Paris before the world.
PTI chief further said that policies should be made while keeping the ground realties into considerations. The issues of Karachi have never been aptly addressed by the previous governments, alleged Imran Khan. “If PTI comes into power, we will do a lot of things to upgrade the environment. We will deal with the challenge of water crisis at the earliest,” Imran Khan said.
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“People used to mock us for the Billion Tree Tsunami project, but now they know,” the PTI chief said. PTI’s government in KPK launched a campaign in 2014 to plant trees across the province. Imran’s critics always mocked him and rejected his claims of planting one billion trees.
According to a report of the World Economic Forum, “Pakistan hit its billion tree goal in August 2017 – months ahead of schedule. Now, the hills of the country’s northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are alive with newly planted saplings.” This international acknowledgment by a credible organization gives some credibility to what Imran Khan claims and his critics rejected.
There are some other political, religious and ethnically motivated political groups but PTI has no formidable political rival at the moment. Imran Khan, therefore, looks confident this time.
Imran also said the General Elections 2018 will be based on ideology as the political parties will have to explain to the voter the ideology behind asking for their votes. PTI claims to be a party of change in the country. Although the party is yet to announce its manifesto, it has unfolded the plan for the first 100 days if the party is elected to power. The focus of Imran Khan’s PTI is on the eradication of corruption, upgradation of health, education and economy.
Khan also intends to ensure the provision of justice to every citizen across the country. PTI’s ideology is to radically reform the country’s institutions and ensure rule of law, says the party leaders. PML-N has no as such political agenda to attract the masses.
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The focus of the party has generally been on publicity oriented schemes like Metro and Orange Trains projects in Lahore. PPP, on the other hand, has presented an interesting manifesto with some appealing slogans. But the problem with the PPP is that it is ‘tested’ time and again, and the party remained unable to transform emotionally charged slogans into actions.
This election is going to be crucial in the modern history of Pakistan. The public, media, political parties, judiciary and civil society are playing their parts actively to ensure free and fair elections in the country. Parties are expected to be rigorously evaluated by the democratic-minded adult citizens across Pakistan. The winner will surely be those whose ideology and past-record appeal masses the most.