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Stop making excuses, hold LG polls: PML-Q tells govt
* Women Wing president urges govt to plan some short-term ventures as well to bring immediate relief to people alongside ‘dream projects’
ISLAMABAD: The PML-Q has demanded the heavy-mandate ruling party in the federal capital fulfill its promises made in the election manifesto and conduct local government elections across country without further delay.
“The local government elections are being put off on one or the other pretext. The delay has not only inflicted colossal damage on the provision of social and civil services to the citizens at the grass-roots level but also hampered the more active participation of the masses in all tiers of governance,” Women Wing President Farrukh Khan told Daily Times on Monday.
She said the local government system promotes democracy and development activities that are undertaken with the participation of the local people and are better tailored to the real needs of the local population. She said it is about time that the government shun centralised system of governance, revive local bodies and devolve power to the masses.
The PML-Q leader said federal capital seems to have become a hub of national politics where ‘dream projects’ are being projected while little is being done on the ground to alleviate the sufferings of the masses. “No doubt, they are trying to cope with the challenges. But they need to move in the right direction. They look to be more interested in mega projects that will take years to pay the dividend. Masses need an immediate relief,” she said, and added government needs to work on some short-term plans that could bring immediate respite for the people.
“Metro bus is a good scheme. But these buses cater to the needs of a specific population travelling on certain routes and in only one city. The billions of rupees spent on the project could have been better used for the up-gradation of whole transport infrastructure in the province of Punjab, especially in big cities where people are faced with sheer public transport availability issues,” she said.
On education, the PML-Q leader said country needs an ‘education emergency’ to stop the gradual failing of public school system. “The government has spent too much money on Daanish Schools project while thousands of already established public schools are in a shambles vis-à-vis enrolment rate, deployment of trained teachers, provision of quality textbooks and an effective examination system,” she said. Education sector is badly in need of reforms that must aim at providing a vast majority of school-going children with an environment conducive to learning, a competent teacher, and a high quality curriculum, she added.
The PML-Q leader said present government seems least interested in the issue of empowerment of women in Pakistan. “Women comprise almost 50 percent of the country’s population still they continue to suffer from atrocities like rape, acid throwing, honour killings, forced marriages, forced prostitution, vani, watta satta and swara,” she said, and added that though laws for protection and empowerment of women exist, their implementation is not being ensured by the government.
“It is hard to imagine a constructive and sustainable democratic change in Pakistan unless rights of women are protected and they are included in the decision-making processes at all levels of governance.”
On a recently launched loan scheme for youth, the PML-Q leader said the project seems a total flop, thanks to lack of detailed homework and several loopholes. She said the scheme might face the fate of other such schemes launched in the past.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk