KARACHI, May 24: The majority of political and religious parties are busy in giving final shapes to their manifestos for the scheduled October general elections in the country.

The Benazir Bhutto-led Pakistan People’s Party has prepared its manifesto and is busy in giving final touches; Altaf Hussain’s Muttahida Qaumi Movement is thrashing out various points to finalize a manifesto; the Pakistan Muslim League (PML- N) and the Jamaat-i-Islami are warming up to mobilize voters with an attractive future programmes to win the polls.

While talking to different political parties, including the MQM, JI, PPP, and the PML, who command considerable respect and influence among the masses, it was transpired that in the wake of major changes brought forward by the military regime they had no choice but to amend their traditional manifestos by introducing major electoral reforms.

Besides, the overall situation of the country in the post-11 September scenario has compelled the parties to amend their political strategies.

The PPP has replaced its much-publicized and popular roti, kapra aur makan slogan with a new electoral promise “employment for all” in its revised manifesto.

Responding to a question, PPP acting-general secretary Mian Raza Rabbani, who is also a member of the party’s manifesto committee, claimed that they had prepared a manifesto six months ago and at the moment some minor changes were being inserted into it in accordance with the need of the hour.

“The elderly and ailing people of the society who are unable to earn their livelihood would be given social security that would enable them to earn a decent living,” he maintained.

The committee was inspired by social market economy of Germany. The basic philosophy of their intended agenda is to promote the society-based market economy, creating an atmosphere of fair competition between weak and small entrepreneurs with strong and big entrepreneurs providing protection to the weak.

A PML-N spokesman disclosed that the party president, Nawaz Sharif, had decided to constitute a nine-member committee to oversee party affairs which would be headed by Raja Zafarul Haq.

“After the formation of the committee by the end of current month, it is likely to meet in the next couple of days when its present manifesto will be redrafted.”

Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui said the party was ready to take part in the elections. “No matter how short period we have our manifesto is already updated. However, any inevitable change will be made within a short span of time.”

“The district organizations have already completed their homework with respect to the selection of candidates. The names can be finalized by the party’s central shoora,” he maintained, adding that the JI wanted the elections under an interim setup formed by national consensus and supervised by an autonomous election commission.

Otherwise, he said, the Jamaat would have reservation about the elections.

A spokesman for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement said that during a recent meeting of the coordination committee various vital points relating to the manifesto were discussed.

To a query, he said members of the committee specially focussed their attention on the question that what should be next line of action if the government announced further changes in its system of governance.

Giving details about the manifesto, PML-QA Sindh chief Ghous Bux Mehar said a committee was working under the chairmanship of Syed Fakhr Imam.

In two to three months, he said, the party would be prepared to take part in the elections. As for alliance with other parties, he said, his party would like to take along the like-minded parties.

Sindh Democratic Alliance has said its manifesto was expected to be announced in the near future and the taluka committees would be announced to run the day-to-day affairs of the alliance.

The steering committee of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chaired by secretary-general Mairaj Mohammad Khan has also formed a strategy committee to run election campaign smoothly.

The Pakistan Awami Tehrik has already prepared a draft manifesto which is being vetted these days. Selection of candidates and a decision on forming an alliance with other parties would be taken at an appropriate time, a central leader said.

An ANP leader said that the manifesto had already been updated and the party continued to amend it. Selection of candidates, he said, would be made by the central and provincial committees, to be set up for the purpose, at an appropriate time.—PPI