MANIFESTO
PAKISTAN MUSLIM LEAGUE
(ZIA UL HAQ SHAHEED)
CONTENTS
2. Economic Policy
3. Agriculture and Rural Development
4. Political Reforms
5. Health
6. Austerity
7. Citizens Rights
8. National Security and Foreign Policy
9. Education
10. Women’s Uplift Programs
11. Pensioners and Senior Citizens
12. Minorities
13. Disabled
14. Unemployment
15. National Human Resource Development Program
16. Housing
17. Labor Reforms
18. Environment
19. Trade and Industry
20. Security and Justice
PREFACE
Pakistan is one of the most unique countries of the world. Its strategic geographical location in the emerging world order, its dominant progressive and moderate Muslim culture, its capacity to act as a bridge between the Muslim world and the West and between the Muslim world and the Far East, its creation as an ideological modern Islamic State, its status as the only Muslim country with nuclear power, its huge human resource base and its abundant availability of natural, agricultural and fuel resources, all gives Pakistan a capacity to play pivotal roles in the emerging regional and global orders.
Pakistan has its own set of problems, some homegrown and some exported to the country by the hostile regional and global power players. Pakistan needs to set ambitious targets in education, health care, judicial, legal and jail reforms, agriculture, industrialization, trade and commerce, defense and security, law and order, social justice, housing, communications, transportation, environment, good governance, foreign policy, human resource development, science and technology, research and development and foreign policy. There is a solid development base and brilliant resource of manpower available in the country to achieve all these goals. One only needs to tap this abundant potential, which unfortunately could not be done in the past. They need honest, reliable and humble leadership, which can act as a catalyst to galvanize the entire country into one nation, capable of leading the world from the front. Pakistan has a brilliant and promising future ahead of it, it only needs sincere leadership which is trusted by the nation to take it forward.
PML(Z) is a national political party of Pakistan, which gives immense importance to higher human values in the field of politics. PML(Z) believes that in order to achieve progressive sustainable and far reaching results of the below mentioned manifesto, it is extremely important that core human values should also be developed in the country to bring in a comprehensive cultural change at the national level. The emphasis of the manifesto is not just to develop the quality of human life in the country through sustainable economic and social growth but also to enhance the quality of man through strength of character, human dignity, human values and moral courage which should become the building block for any fundamental change in the society, PML(Z) wishes to give radically different but higher concepts of human growth coupled with dynamic and mature national development policies which should become the corner stone for the nation’s development in the new millenium.
In the charter of human development, human rights is a noble concept but human obligations are a higher value, where the emphasis is on giving rather than taking. PML(Z) wishes to build a society, which is based on a collective and established higher moral order, driven by the pristine values of our faith, national objectives and individual freedom. In an environment where every individual, group or social segment is free to achieve its excellence through the collective support of the State, society and the culture is the ideal environment for growth, progress and development. In such an environment, innovations and progress take place, societies flourish, tolerance is practiced, social justice is achieved, law remains supreme, just and equitable distribution of wealth takes place, balance of nature is not disturbed and nations deal with each other on terms of mutual respect and dignity.
It is the responsibility of the government to give such an environment to the nation in which achieving human excellence becomes possible for all in every field. Excellence not just in the material sense, but also in intellectual and spiritual domains, which remains the fundamental need for all the human societies, which have grown and progressed in human history.
The societies that have emphasized to take the quality of life to amazing levels but forgot to match the material progress with the moral and spiritual growth have created amoral nations that have also disturbed the natural balance of human civilizations, creating chaos, anarchy and injustices in the world. Today we live in a world, which has seen the most incredible material, economic and social growth but unfortunately these are also the most violent times in human history. The whole humanity is suffering, in each part of the world, in developed nations, in developing nations and in our own country. PML(Z) wishes to blaze a new trail in political leadership where the role of the leadership would not be of exploitative and diplomatic opportunists, upsetting the natural balance within the human beings and within the nations but as a custodian and a guardian of the human life, human environment and human values, not just for the benefit of Pakistan but for the entire community of nations and mankind in the world today. We wish to make Pakistan a State, which is respected and honored in the community of nations as a just and tolerant State, bringing the humanity together, acting as a bridge between civilizations from East to West and North to South, giving new meaning to peaceful co-existence. Pakistan’s unique position in the world and its strategic importance makes it an ideal country to initiate the process of bringing the nations together for honorable and peaceful co-existence.
It is with these fundamental goals in mind, that PML(Z) presents its following manifesto to the nation.
We would highlight the need for national integration with the total involvement of all sections of the society. We seem to be in a state of cultural shock leading up to the existing intolerance between sections of people. We need to develop an effective society with a sense of community based on tolerance and a commitment to coexist. This can be achieved through effective interaction between all sections of society so we can understand each other and therefore develop a healthy respect for each other’s ideas and ideologies rather than sticking to ones own.
The effective society we propose to develop will work as a watchdog over bureaucracy, government, politicians, and businesses making them all accountable to it. We need to move away from the loyalty to families and individuals highlighting the need for service and upholding principles. The civil society will be involved in constant self-examination to diagnose possible social ill health for a quick remedial action. This will undoubtedly make us a highly progressed society. We will allow complete freedom of inflow of knowledge, technology, and ideas but would like to resist that aspect of modernization that effects our faith and ideology. After all, Pakistan is an ideological State and PML(Z) is the only party which attempts to defend it.
We wish to immediately start a process of reconciliation and integration. By developing a vision for the future, we would like to involve in preparation of this vision, all the segments of society including political parties, ulema, mashaikh, and the rest of them so that the vision has the blessings and support of all sections insuring their participation in its implementation. The vision will include all items mentioned in the Manifesto Index.
After preparing the vision, we will prepare a national mission statement defining the road map for achieving it. Once the mission statement is prepared, we need to define the values, which are absolutely necessary for the entire nation to follow if we have to achieve our vision. The nation will then be guided to understand how to live with these values. This is a task that shall be accomplished by our elected representatives.
Finally, we will endeavor to eradicate fundamentalism as well as terrorism in all its forms from our society.
ECONOMIC POLICY
The growth rate of our national economy was 5.5 to 6% annually in the 1980s, which deteriorated to 3% to 4% annually in the 1990s. Political instability due to a lack of consistent and sustainable economic policy, deteriorating law and order situation and poor governance was a few of the factors for this decline.
Our commitment is to revive our national economy with the aim of increasing the growth rate to 6% in the next 2 to 3 years in order to achieve our objective a few steps in the right direction need to be taken. These are as follows:-
1. Austerity drives in all government departments to reduce the non-productive expenditures and to improve the performance of all sectors.
2. De-centralization and minimal bureaucratic control will be adopted wherever possible to create an environment for local and foreign investors to participate in all development projects.
3. Financial institutions will be given a free hand to facilitate and assist investors by removing all government and political pressure.
4. The state bank of Pakistan will be made autonomous to regulate the working of financial institutions in accordance with the law.
5. Privatization be carried out in a transparent manner to improve the efficiency of institutions and to reduce the financial burden on the state.
6. To promote industrialization and to revive the sick industry by providing credit allocation and other financial facilities on a priority basis.
7. Improved economic policies to lower inflation.
8. Emphasis will be to increase exports and reduce imports at the same time. This will give the manufacturers an opportunity to improve local production.
9. Improve infrastructure of communication in the country
10. Roads, Railways, Airlines and SeaPorts shall be modernized and upgraded to meet the challenges and standards of the future.
11. Labour intensive projects to be given priority to provide job opportunities.
12. To evolve a revolutionary energy policy. Promote and encourage indigenous source of energy especially reliance on production of hydro electricity for which our country is blessed with great natural reservoirs.
13.Resource mobilization in a manner to decrease reliance on foreign loans shall be the main objectives of our economic policy.
AGRICULTURE & RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Agriculture provides the backbone of our economy. More than 70% of Pakistan’s population is dependent on this sector.
1. Subsidies to be revived on all inputs (fertilizer, electricity, fuel, seed, pesticides etc) especially for co-operative farming. Necessary backup support will be provided and changes in existing policies shall be made at the earliest. The subsidies will be in the form of long term soft loans.
2. Revival and improvement of the irrigation network to be carried out on an emergency basis to improve the supply and storage of water.
3. Government land to be given to small farmers, who are tilling the land, for ownership or easy installments to be paid over a period of 5 years.
4. Greater emphasis on agriculture research to bring it at par with global advancements by increasing funds for the agriculture sector.
5. Agro based industry to be given incentives by providing credit allocation and other financial facilities.
6. Private and foreign investors to be encouraged by creating better environments to invest and involving them in livestock , fisheries and forestation projects.
7. Laws pertaining to revenue be revised with the object of reducing the role of Patwaries.
8. New canals to be built for the Thar and Chulistan deserts.
9. Small dams to be constructed for storage of rain water in Barani areas with the involvement of local farmers.
10. Implements for sprinkler and drip irrigation will be exempted from all duties and taxes.
11. Mechanized farming to be encouraged all over the country.
12. Local manufacturers of agriculture implements to be given incentives to reduce imports and decrease the financial burden on the state.
13. Prices of agriculture produced to be increased gradually and brought in line with international prices.
14. Crop insurance scheme to be introduced.
15. Farm to market roads to be given priority in national development program.
16. Exports of local produce especially fruits, vegetables and flowers to be encouraged through improved marketing.
POLITICAL REFORMS
Pakistan was envisioned as a modern Islamic state, by all those who sacrificed their lives for its creation, with values based on democratic principles. Parliamentary form of government has finally been accepted by its people after experiencing and trying most of the other systems being practiced globally. This system, unfortunately, has not been able to flourish due to shortsightedness of the so-called democratic regimes, which involved themselves in corruption, nepotism, maladministration, and mismanagement.
PML(Z) is committed to improving the performance of the government by taking the following measures
1. Parliament’s role to be more effective by ensuring the following
a) All legislation to be done through Assemblies and senate while legislation through the Presidential Ordinance is to be minimized.
b) Parliamentary committees to be more effective by giving them a role in policy matters concerning their respective ministries and departments.
2. To improve the coordination between the center and provinces in order to minimize the differences and misunderstandings arising on issues of national importance.
03. To improve intra-provincial harmony A joint session of the Senate, National Assembly and all provincial assemblies to be held at least once a year.
4. National Security Council to have a consultative role on issues of defense, internal security, foreign affairs, law and order and issues relating to inter provincial coordination.
5. Election expenses to be made more realistic and a monitoring system be established to keep a check on the prescribed limits
6. Reduce the number of ministers and advisors in Federal and provincial governments
7.Elected representatives to disclose assets as a public record.
8. Pakistanis residing in foreign countries to have voting rights.
9.Women to have greater representation in all walks of life.
10. Accountability in all public offices and institutions.
HEALTH
The health policies of Government in Pakistan have not been able to cope with the ever-increasing population of the country. Pakistan Muslim League (Zia Ul Haq Shaheed) endeavor to evolve a national Health Policy
1.Financial Allocation in the budget will be increased substantially.
2.Health facilities will be provided equally in rural and urban area.
3.Incentives schemes will be introduced to provide better financial packages to doctors and paramedical staff. It will be mandatory for graduating doctors to serve for one year in flung areas.
4. Paramedical institutions to be set up in rural areas.
5.Basic Health Education will be introduced in educational institutions at the primary and middle level.
6.Mass media to project programs for education on sanitation, preventive health, nutrition and clean water especially in rural areas.
7.Health insurance policy for comprehensive health coverage to be ensured for all. This will be started as a pilot project in selected districts of all provinces and gradually to be extended all over the country.
8.Tax policy on drugs especially life saving drugs to be reviewed and if possible such taxes to be abolished.
9.Medical Universities to be set up and all medical institutions to be affiliated with such medical universities.
10.Hospital administration to be improved at all levels.
11.Health polices to be targeted to reduced maternal and infant mortality.
12.Mass media to be involved in programs targeted at reducing the rate of population growth.
AUSTERITY
Austerity drive to be carried out in all government departments and to be followed by all public representatives according to the norms of Islam with main emphasis on simplicity.
CITIZENS RIGHTS
We propose to develop an enabling environment in which every citizen shall have the right to opportunity to be able to achieve what he wants to achieve in life. We wish to create an effective civil society, which shall have the strength to oversee all aspects of state functions to ensure good governance including justice to all.
This will be achieved through the following steps:
1. Rule of law will be strictly upheld at all levels. We need a culture of respect for law and for fulfillment of obligations.
2. Judiciary shall be made totally independent of all executive interference.
3. Judicial reform will be implemented in order to ensure effective administration of justice.
4. Law enforcing authorities will be made subservient to public representatives whom they are meant to serve.
5. Citizen committees will be formed to work with the police.
6. All government agencies will be required to serve the people as a policy rather than using their authorities over them
NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY
Foreign policy shall be based on the aspiration and needs of the people of Pakistan and the security requirements of Pakistan. The salient features will be as follows:
1. We shall cooperate with the international community for the purposes of safe guarding our national interests.
2. We shall participate in all regional activities with a view to promote regional, international, business, trade and commercial interests.
3. We shall continue to support the Kashmiris in their struggle for achieving independence.
4. Pakistan will strive to develop friendly ties with its neighbors including China, Iran, Afghanistan, India, and all other Muslim states.
5. We shall work for promoting unity and solidarity amongst members of the organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
6. We will take all steps to promote and develop the defense industry in Pakistan to make us self-sufficient.
7. We will continue to pursue our independent nuclear policy for peaceful purposes.
8. The performance of foreign missions abroad will be focused on establishing and promoting business, trade, and investment from and to Pakistan along with diplomacy.
EDUCATION
We should implement an education policy that will completely eradicate illiteracy from the country and will open up all avenues for acquiring latest knowledge and technology to raise the level of our human resources.
We are an ideological state and therefore we should guard against all inroads into the moral fiber of society whilst acquiring knowledge from all sources available to us.
1. We shall encourage the private sector to fully participate in the promotion of education in Pakistan. We shall encourage the private sector, not only to raise the quality of education, but also make it available to all the sections of the population.
2. Special attention will be paid to raise the standard of education in the rural areas by giving the teachers some incentives.
3. Efforts will be made to make education uniformed across the country.
4. We will develop and implement educational technologies as well as the lastest trends and techniques.
WOMEN’S UPLIFT PROGRAMS
Women are an extremely important part of society whose self-esteem and self-image needs to be upheld by the society as a whole. Prosperity is impossible without their active participation. Women should be actively involved in identifying their social rights thus being able to uphold them in accordance with Islamic teachings.
1. For this purpose, they will be given proper education to be able to fulfill social and domestic responsibilities.
2. Special legislation will be passed for total eradication of violence against women and will be given protection against all violence and abuse.
3. The rights of working women should be completely protected and legislation will be revised accordingly.
4. Efforts will be made to create a work environment conducive to honor and dignify the working women.
PENSIONERS AND SENIOR CITIZENS
Senior citizens covering the age of 70 will be given special privileges through relief in taxation and giving them recognition and status in the society.
Pension schemes and benefits to pensioners will be constantly renewed and improved to keep them in line with increasing inflation.
1. Ex-servicemen will be provided with opportunities for self-employment.
MINORITIES
The rights of minorities will be fully protected in the right of Islamic teachings and the fundamental principles of human rights. Their interests will be safe-guarded and they will be insured freedom, security and equal opportunities.
DISABLED
All steps will be taken to rehabilitate the disabled people. They shall be ensured of all the constitutional and legal rights, particularly related to job security and opportunity. Quotas in jobs as reserved will be implemented into spirit. Those unable to earn a living will be given proper financial assistance. Taxes and duties are to be removed on bicycles, tricycles and cars for the handicapped. This will be done via legislation through the national assembly. The job quota for the disabled will be doubled.
UNEMPLOYMENT
The government will take all steps to ensure greater employment opportunities through investment. They will be given a lot of assistance for rehabilitation and sustenance.
1. Bank loans and incentive schemes for small and medium size enterprises will be activated.
2. Credit schemes for small farmers and deserving individuals will be formalized and encouraged.
3. All public sector jobs will be advertised in the media and selection will be strictly on merit.
NATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
1. A national program for development of human resources for constant upgrading of skills, technology and concepts will be regulated in order to develop professionalism at all levels.
2. In the development of this program, private and public sector corporations will be completely involved and assisted.
3. Existing training institutions for professional managers and skilled workers shall be upgraded with the latest technology and knowledge.
HOUSING
1. Private capital and government resources will be completely commissioned in order to affiliate the sufferings of the poor residing in the kachi abaadis.
2. Local and foreign investors will be encouraged to undertake townhouse schemes on government land to be provided to the poor on easy installments.
LABOR REFORMS
Labor reforms will be initiated with try partite participation of employers, workers, and the government in order to ensure equitable wages and modern working conditions. Employers and workers will be encouraged to participate in increasing productivity, quality, and profitability.
1. Child and bonded labor will be prohibited by law.
2. Greater security and compensation against accidents will be ensured in according to law.
ENVIRONMENT
The state of health, safety, and environment will be brought in line with international standards. In this respect, the following steps will be taken.
1. An active program will be launched to make the public aware of their responsibilities in maintaining safety, health, and the environment throughout the country.
2. Mass media will be activated to propagate awareness programs for highlighting the environmental hazards of pollution, deforestation, drought, and global warming.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
All policies in the field of trade and industry will be formulated in close collaboration with the chambers of commerce and industry throughout the country.
1. Tariff on imports will be streamlined to promote investment in foreign industries.
2. Policies will be devised to promote and encourage value added products.
3. The taxation policy will be carried out in consultation with all stakeholders.
SECURITY AND JUSTICE
The fundamental duty of our government will be to provide law and order to the citizens of Pakistan. The following necessary measures will be undertaken to pursue this important policy.
1. The rule of law will be upheld at all levels throughout Pakistan.
2. Judiciary to be allowed to flourish and develop as an independent institution.
3. Budget to be increased by atleast 100%.
4. Appointments in judiciary to be made on seniority basis.
5. The existing post of judges will be filled and wherever necessary to be increased for the provision of speedy justice to the masses at their doorstep.
6. Prison laws to be reviewed and amended accordingly. Social services to be offered as an alternate to punishment.