Pakistan: KP’s real issues succumb to PTI’s populist approach

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has not yet come out of its pre-election populist approach and as a result Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s pressing socio-economic issues have suffered oversight by the provincial ruling coalition, according to political analysts. Political scientists and activists, when contacted separately, said that PTI’s extreme position over a foreign policy issue had pushed to oblivion Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s actual issues, including rising unemployment, deteriorating law and order situation, growing price hike, dilapidated infrastructure, and failing social services delivery system. “Pakistan’s politics has always been issue based and political parties always try to make gains, and as a result real issues mostly go unnoticed,” said Dr AZ Hilali, chairman of the Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar. He said no one ever talked about unemployment, crimes, and socio-economic problems. PTI was not any different than others, he added. “I have sympathies with Imran Khan, but his approach is benefiting a particular social class at the cost of people belonging to low income groups,” said the academician. Aren’t American drone strikes and Nato supplies real issues of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa? Addressing his party’s protest demonstration at Peshawar on Saturday, PTI chief Imran Khan said peace could not be restored in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without stopping American drone strikes. He said 70 per cent industrial units in the province were non-functional because of the security crisis resulted by drone strikes. Many think Mr Khan’s attempt to link the closure of industrial units with drone strikes is factually incorrect. The province has been struggling with a large number of sick industrial units since early 1990s after the federal government withdrew industrial incentive packages, rendering closure of units in Gadoon Amazai industrial estate. Dr Ijaz Khan Khattak, a faculty member of the International Relations Department, UoP, does not agree with the PTI’s position on drone attacks. “There does not seem to have gone some real thinking behind PTI’s slogans and its populist approach,” said Dr Khattak, adding “slogans do carry strong imprints, but compromises cannot be concealed.” PTI, he said, had realised that it was not easy for its provincial coalition government to deliver, as the province had peculiar issues and little resource base. The party, he said, knew well that Nato supplies and drone strikes were international issues that did not come under the domain of the provincial government. “PTI knows disrupting Nato supplies involves implications; Pakistan is legally bound to ensure the supplies to Afghanistan,” said the academician. He said the party had come into power on slogans of ending corruption, improving social services, and restoring peace. “Perhaps, they have realised that they have not been able to deliver on any of the front so they have taken extreme positions on issues that do not come under the purview of a provincial government,” said Dr Khattak. The Awami National Party, too, holds the opinion that PTI has lost the sense of direction, failing to overcome governance issues in the province. “This is petty politics,” said Bushra Gohar, ANP’s ex-MPA. She said: “Governance has not been their strong point, the promises they made in the elections remain unfulfilled, and instead of getting serious about actual things they are holding music shows in the name of protest demos.” She said PTI should tell the nation why did not provincial police cordon off the American drone strike scene in Hangu, who removed the bodies from the scene, and why had not the local police registered a case against the US ambassador to Islamabad after the Hangu drone strike? Instead of blocking trade route that would create problems for people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, she said, the PTI should strive to change the country’s Afghan policy. “If they are sincere to what they are saying then they should hold a KP’s real issues succumb to PTI’s populist approach sit-in in front of the General Headquarters to press for changing the country’s policy,” said Ms Gohar. She has reasons to believe that the PTI-led government was lacking in ensuring good governance. She said the provincial government had not produced a fact-finding report about the Dera Ismail Khan jailbreak incident. Its two members of the provincial assembly, she added, were killed in terrorist attacks and the government had not produced any report about their killing as well. The provincial police, she said, could not go near to the Hangu drone strike site either. “They are trying to divert people’s attention,” said Ms Gohar. Dr Hilali said PTI’s position had grave implications and political repercussions for the province in particular and the country in general. He said PTI’s stand against drone strikes was an old demand by Taliban. PTI, he added, had reconciled with the militants’ position. “It is legitimising Taliban’s stand,” he said. “TTP chief and a killer of thousands of Pakistanis, Hakimullah, is being regarded as a martyr and those who lost lives to protect this country their sacrifices are being brought under question, this is hooliganism,” said Dr Hilali. He said PTI and its allies were silent about the Kashmir issue and they had also ignored Pakistan’s demand for transferring the drone technology. According to Dr Khattak, PTI is risking to slip to the right extreme position. “In view of the increasing political polarisation in Pakistan, PTI is pushing itself to the extreme right where it is likely to replace Jamaat-i-Islami,” said Dr Khattak.