PESHAWAR: Awami National Party has rejected the one-year performance of the government and held the rulers responsible for the increasing price hike, unemployment and poverty in the country.

In a statement here on Sunday, ANP general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the policies of previous governments of the ‘old Pakistan’ were far better than the tall claims of the ‘Naya Pakistan’ as parliamentary system was paralysed completely.

“The government is run through presidential ordinances. Legislation during the past one year is next to nil,” he said. He added that the prime minister’s interests in the parliamentary process could be gauged from his participation in the joint session of parliament on Kashmir with a delay of four hours.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain says parliamentary system paralysed

Mr Hussain said that Prime minister always took the parliament as D-Chowk to lash out at opposition. He said that it happened for the first time that government did not work on the reports of standing committees. He said that PTI did not have capable people so many of the cabinet members were unelected.

The ANP leader said it was witnessed for the first time during the past 70 years that the government surrendered its economy to International Monetary Fund (IMF). He added that prices of dollar, gold, daily use items and petroleum products were going up without any check owing to failure of the economic policy of the government.

Mr Hussain said that government was unable to share details of its policies with members of the parliament and opposition leaders were sent behind bars without any solid evidence regarding corruption. He said that government failed to devise an effective policy on Kashmir as the rulers opted to issue only media statements for winning the war against India.

He said India imposed its decision on Kashmir mainly owing to the unwise foreign policy of the government. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s role was weak to fight the case of Kashmir effectively at world level.

The ANP leader said that in the prevailing uncertain situation, the country was isolated. He said that relations with China were also not exemplary because government failed to execute China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project as per its original plan.

He alleged that at least 70 proscribed organisations were functioning in the country. He said that the incumbent government had become a security risk as the country would be put in the grey list if the rulers remained in power any longer.

Mr Hussain said Imran Khan failed to fulfil his commitments about establishment of university in the Prime Minister’s House, control expenses and end corrupt practices.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2019