THIS refers to your editorial ‘PML-N manifesto’ (March 9). For the last 20 years the party has been claiming to have introduced economic and social reforms, though it has achieved nothing. The PML-N’s only achievement is the motorway from M-1 to now M-9, which has only made the rich richer and the poor poorer.

I do not understand why our mainstream political parties have no agenda for building proper institutions. Why don’t they believe in institutions rather than shortcut promises? Motorways, laptops, yellow cabs, etc, will not sustain this nation, rather the building of socioeconomic and political institutions will provide a big support to our people.

Although our main issue is the rising population, the PML-N manifesto is silent on this. Also, the growing terrorism is a serious problem, but the PML-N manifesto is silent abot the matter.

This battered nation badly needs powerful institutions instead of shortcuts like motorways, laptops and yellow cabs which just support the smallest portion of this ever-increasing population. All these shortcuts are just a drop in the ocean of national problems.

Our another mainstream political party, the PPP, gave the slogan of bread and butter but failed to achieve the target. It appears the PPP and the PML-N have failed to grasp the reality and missed the targets. They have rather failed to develop sound political, social and economic institutions.

They only believe in promises and change their policies after reaching the power corridors. A manifesto is only a pre-poll exercise and not more than that for these two mainstream political parties.

The PML-N remained in power in Punjab during the last five years, but highly opposed and did nothing about the local government. Now will the nation believe in Nawaz Sharif’s promise about the local government elections? No. Although Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto had signed a charter of democracy and promised local government elections, the PPP and the PML-N did not implement a single promise. Although local governments are nurseries for local leadership, both the PML-N and the PPP have failed to promote the system.

AIJAZ ALI KHUWAJAKarachi