Page 55 - AUG2018E

Foreign aFFairs

• People’s problems Imran Khan is expected to
take care of people’s economic difficulties

The voters’ preferences indicate
that people in every province are sick
of destructive activities in the name of
religion. There appears to be a strong
desire among the people that the
government in Islamabad as well as in
the provinces should launch mainly
growth-oriented programmes.
The people have tried the PPP,
founded by the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,
who projected himself as the messiah
of the downtrodden, Nawaz Sharif’s
spurring economic activity so that voters have sent across the message Pakistan Muslim League, promoting
there is an improvement in their qual- that they are for positive politics with itself as a well-wisher of trade and
ity of life. This is being seen as one of a view to promoting economic growth industry, and the MMA of the main-
the major factors behind the extrem- and peace so that joblessness disap- stream religious parties, and found
ist-led parties and others opposed to pears not only from Pakistan but also their performance highly disappoint-
normalisation of relations with India from the rest of South Asia. ing. They have now shown confidence
getting a good dressing-down from the The people in general would, in a comparatively new party to
electorate in Pakistan’s July 25 general perhaps, prefer their leaders to give a implement the promises it has made
elections. serious thought to the cause of banish- to the people — mainly to take care of
The vote share of these parties, all ing poverty from the region, home to a people’s economic difficulties.
put together, is less than 9 per cent large number of the world’s poor. The success achieved by Imran
whereas in the 2002 general elec- The global financial crisis and other Khan’s PTI in KP proves that exploit-
tions, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal factors like the war in Afghanistan and ing people’s sentiments in the name
(MMA), an impressive conglomerate of the activities of extremists have im- of religion is no longer possible when
mainstream religious parties, secured pacted Pakistan’s growth considerably. there is a general cry for focusing
around 11 per cent votes. The only As in the case of India, poverty in Paki- on poverty-alleviation schemes. The
extremist party which has shown re- stan has been more widespread in the following words of Imran must have
markable achievement is the Tehreek rural areas than in the cities. Imran’s gone down well with the electorate,
Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), the fifth largest speeches show that he is conscious of “The biggest challenge we are facing
group in terms of vote share. The TLP is the fact that this needs to be given top is the economic crisis ... we have never
slightly behind the MMA. The TLP has priority. had such a huge fiscal deficit. All of this
its support base among the Barelvis, According to one estimate, poverty is because our economy is going down
opposed to Wahabis and Salafis, and rose sharply in the rural areas in the because of dysfunctional institutions.”
has emerged as the new favourite of 1990s and the gap in the incomes be- The new government’s efforts for a
those having a strong religious orien- tween urban and rural areas became bailout package from the IMF may not
tation because of its having eulogised more pronounced. bear fruit so easily as the US seems to
then Punjab Governor Salman Taseer’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which now have turned its back on Pakistan as a
killer, Mumtaz Qadri, his own security includes the Federally Administered pressure tactic to eliminate terrorist
guard, executed for the crime he had Tribal Areas (FATA), has been one of outfits from that country. There is the
committed. the most backward regions of South possibility that the new government
The position of religious parties is Asia. Known for harbouring extremists may ignore the US coercive method
not as strong as it was in 2002 when and terrorists, the people there seem to as countries like China, Russia and
they captured power in Khyber-Pakh- have realised that they today need only Saudi Arabia appear to be forthcoming
tunkhwa (KP), a province dominated peace and economic development so to help Pakistan out of the economic
by Pashtu-speaking tribal people. The that there are more job opportuni- quagmire in which it finds itself today.
electorate this time has given these ties for the ever growing unemployed This factor may impact Islamabad’s
parties a humiliating treatment not population of youth. That is why they India policy too.
only in KP but also in Punjab and have pinned their hopes on the Imran
Sindh. By rejecting these parties the Khan-led PTI. letters@tehelka.com

Tehelka / 31 august 2018 55 www.Tehelka.com