December 21, 2007	Friday	Zilhaj 10, 1428

PESHAWAR: The manifestos of all mainstream political parties do not represent the views and opinion of the business community and these highly publicised electoral programmes also lack strategy to achieve elusive targets set therein, observe businessmen in the Frontier province. They are of the view that political parties announce manifestos just to fascinate their audience and no mention of clear cut strategies to achieve their goals speak volume of their seriousness towards solving the economic and social issues.

Former president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Ghulam Sarwar Mohmand feels that economic development and business are given low priority in the mani-

festos.

”The parties even could not implement their manifestos on top priority areas including education and health, what one can expect they would do any thing in the low priority area,” he remarked. “None of these manifestos has a single word about the promotion of those industrial units which can feed through indigenous raw material.”

Mr Mohmand explains that neither any political party in past nor in present had ever consulted the representative bodies of the trade and industry that is why their claims for economic and business development are merely eyewash.

“During my 40 years career, I haven’t seen any political party doing research or consulting the stakeholders for its electoral manifestos as these parties rely on tall claims without giving any applicable strategy,” he lamented.

Economy and business related portion of the PML-Q manifesto is talking about the achievements of the past five years and gives nothing about the future plan of the party, if it is elected for next term.

The Q-League manifesto comprises five Ds, says: “The party shall develop an enterprise culture which develops skills, supports workers and creates jobs.”

Unlike PML-Q, the PPPP election plan carries more sounding words and tall claims for economic prosperity. It talks about rapid economic growth, sound debt policy, containing inflation, establishing a fair tax system, private sector development and agricultural and rural growth.

Same is the manifesto of the PML-N, which talks about reducing poverty through employment generation, controlling inflation, agricultural, rural and industrial development.

Many among the business circles of NWFP believe that manifestos are not more than text book policies and they have no relevance to the ground realities.

Industrial Association Peshawar president Nauman Wazir argues that both the PML-N and PPPP are selling ‘sweet’ dreams for boosting economic growth without giving any weightage to fundamental issues.

“Our society lacks a vigilant public opinion that is why the political parties give hollow slogans for economic development without having a sound strategy. When the parties come to power, they adopt what the lending agencies prescribe to them,” he observes.

He laments none of the political parties has mentioned a clear roadmap for the economic revival in their manifestos.

He says these parties are talking about creation of jobs, but fail to mention any potential sectors or industries for new employment.

Faiz Rasool Khan, former vice-president of the FPCCI and who is member of PPPP, says that not a single political party can stick to its manifesto after coming into power because there is no institutionalised mechanism to shape economic policies on long-term basis.