PPP and PML-N pushing fifty percent of the population below poverty line:Shah Mehmood Qureshi

Lahore: The people of Pakistan and the country itself have suffered at the hands of two ruling political parties PPP and PML-N due to bad governance, defective economic planning, corruption and failure to maintain law and order. The people of Pakistan will have to vote PTI into power to save the country. This was stated by Vice Chairman Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf Shah Mahmood Qureshi while addressing a press conference in PTI media office here today.

He gave statistics to show how the country as a whole and Punjab province in particular had incurred huge losses to the exchequer by indulging in useless projects of Sasti Roti, Danish Schools and Rapid Bus Transport System. The country is infested by inflation, unemployment, corruption and poverty as a result 50% of the population have gone down the poverty line, he added.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi maintained that Balochis do not trust the government agencies like police, FC anymore which will have an adverse impact on federation and weaken it.

On issue of new provinces people of south Punjab do not trust both the parties.PPP is playing this card to hide their poor performance and divert attention from real issues. An example of which is the parliamentary commission formed to address the issue is a joke; people in the commission are incompetent and do not know anything about the dynamics, demographics and ground realities of the south. Hazara province issue was also not taken up in the commission consisting of inexperienced individuals which shows the lack of will and seriousness.

As far as PML-n is concerned, it supports new provinces but not willing to sit and talk. PML-N ruling 60 % of Punjab has disappointed masses by its poor governance. Punjab had a bigger fiscal space but didn’t perform as they keep borrowing from state bank.

World Bank gave huge amount for promotion of education; 6 billion was wasted on laptop scheme which could have been spent on rural Punjab besides 80 million were spent on advertisements and personal projection. In last 4.5 years resource mobilization in Punjab failed leading to a budget deficit.5 % of the GDP in Indian national revenue is given by the provinces but here in Pakistan Punjab gave only 0.5 %.2010-2011, 65.5 billion development funds were cut down by the Punjab government which was never done before in the history of Pakistan.Article 53 even before 18th amendment gives provinces right to generate own power but Punjab failed to mitigate.

Giving a brief analysis of the Law and order being a provincial subject, Shah Mahmood Qureshi disclosed that there was an overall 21 % increase in crime rate in Punjab, 94.4 % increase in car lifting, 100 % increase in Bank robberies, 102 % increase in Robberies, 22 % increase in Rape, 13 % increase in Kidnappings, 15 % increase in Murder.

In Punjab’s annual education status report 2011 shows 3-5 year children 49 % did not go to school, only 1 % increases in literacy rate. Overall enrollment decreased. 5700 schools closed on plea of being dysfunctional. In Danish school an amount of Rs.16000/ child is spent whereas in a government school the expense is 1600/child, this results in creating a divide amongst the people. The amount spent on Danish schools could have been utilized for upgrading 660 primary schools to middle.

Besides this in the health sector the outbreak of dengue, adulterated medicines in PIC and manhandling YDA issue speaks volume of the failure in the governance of the province. Both the parties failed miserably due to inefficiency, corruption and poor governance.

He declared that PTI will announce health and education policies in September which will give solid proposals for the welfare of the general public.

Time has come to reject the status quo parties and people should vote for PTI as this party will come to power through the votes and support of people of Pakistan instead of the support from Washington.