December 26, 2007	Wednesday	Zilhaj 15, 1428

LAHORE, Dec 25: The Pakistan Muslim League-Q, which ruled the country for a full five-year term, says it will give priority to providing the people with better health and education facilities and a house to everyone on easy instalments.

The party’s election manifesto, unveiled earlier this month, outlined steps that the party envisaged for overhauling the two sectors.The manifesto addresses problems in other sectors too but the document is arguably not as comprehensive as that of the PPP. The explanation could be that the PPP, being out of power since 1996, felt it had to spell out its plans in detail to assure the electorate that it would take steps to solve their problems.

The PML-Q, on the other hand, thinks the voters are aware of what the party has done for them during the past five years and, hence, it does not see a need for an exposition.

In order to provide better health facilities to the nation, the PML-Q manifesto promises the establishment of a “national health service”. As an incentive, doctors working in rural areas will be given a better package.

The party also promises to bring the prices of all medicines, life-saving drugs in particular, within the reach of the common man.

According to the manifesto, people involved in the spurious drug business would be awarded exemplary punishment.

The party also promised to ensure free primary education of an ‘international standard’ to all children over the next 10 years.

The PML-Q government was unable to do much during the past five years to raise the standard of education in state-controlled institutions. It was because of this deterioration that more and more students are joining private institutions that charge exorbitant fees.

Free education is not as important as quality education in an era of science and technology.

The promise that teachers’ retirement age would be raised to 65 years and that the existing schools and higher secondary schools would be upgraded, should be appreciated by teachers as well as parents.

Many voters must have noted that the PML-Q, chastened by its experience of the past five years, has ultimately realised that it should approach the western countries and persuade them to issue visas to physics students desirous of undertaking higher studies. These visas are not being issued to Pakistani students since the country went nuclear in 1998.

Yet another good step proposed in the manifesto was a promise to give local and foreign scholarships to all deserving students without discrimination. To provide an opportunity to all deserving students, advertisements would be placed in newspapers whenever such scholarships became available.

If the commitment is honoured, scholarships will not lapse, as happens now.

The PML-Q also intends to double the job quota for the disabled. A separate ministry would be set up for the disabled and they would be facilitated to get education at home and abroad.

Hoarding and adulteration were two major problems which the PML-Q government was unable to tackle. The manifesto proposed the constitution of a food safety commission for the purpose.

An interesting commitment made in the manifesto is that the party would promote a “cycle culture” for a better environment and better health. At a time when more and more people are switching over to four-wheelers, and leaders are using bullet-proof luxurious cars, it would be rather difficult for the leadership to induce their voters into using bicycles.

Like the PPP, the PML-Q has something for women in its manifesto. It promises to safeguard women’s right to inheritance, a ban on marriage with the holy Quran and customs like honour-killing, vani and karo-kari.

The PML-Q manifesto has a provision about the prisoners who are unable to get out of jail on completing their terms because of non-payment of fines. It says the government will pay the fines imposed on prisoners.

This raises an important question: If the fine is to be paid by the government, why not bring in a legislation to do away with the imposition of fine altogether?

The PML-Q government failed to get a bill on provincial autonomy passed during its tenure. Therefore, it has again included the matter in its new manifesto. It has also committed itself to transferring powers from the centre to provinces.

Unlike other parties, the PML-Q did not propose any changes to the Constitution. It is satisfied with the balance of powers between the president and the prime minister, and whatever President Musharraf did on Nov 3 and subsequently.

A curious feature of the document is that the unfulfilled promises of the 2002 manifesto found no place in it.