Jang Economic Session: Imran needs dedicated team to fulfil promises, says experts

LAHORE: Imran Khan will need an honest and dedicated team to fulfill the promises he made with the public besides working on urgent basis on health, education, economy, law and order, and provision of economic justice and to stop the youth from going abroad by providing them employment.

These views were expressed by the experts in Jang Economic Session on “Public Expectations – Priorities of the New Government.”

The panelists were Khawaja Khawar Rasheed, Shazia Slaman, Imtiaz Cheema, Farooq Tariq, Tayyab Ali Khan and Farha Naz Naqvi. The vent was hosted by Sikandar Lodhi.

Khawaja Khawar Rasheed said that the government should end dependency on foreign loans, utilise indigenous resources and produce cheap energy. He called for strong foreign policy to streamline the country relations with the world by taking all parties on board. He suggested ending dependency on a few items for export and giving incentives to other sectors on the pattern followed in India. He called for establishment of vocational training centres and ensuring provision of justice to the public.

Shazia Slaman said that effective policy and strategy would be required to overcome all the public issues. She said equal justice and good governance would be needed to fulfil the promises. She said if the 100-day plan was implemented, structural changes would take place which would pave the way for fulfilling other political promises. She suggested brining economists to the parliament to resolve the economic issues while institutions would not streamline in 100 days and public should give time to the new government to improve the system.

Imtiaz Cheema said the coming government needed to work hard as the public voted for change in the ruling style while the past government had done good work but not up to the public expectations.

He said infrastructure was developed in Punjab but other civic issues of water, health and education were ignored. He said the new government should learn from these mistakes and focus on productivity projects. He called for cutting the public sector expenditures for real economic growth.

Farooq Tariq said the new government must remember the promises of housing and employment. The youth welcomed the slogan of Naya Pakistan, but the concept of Naya Pakistan could not be accomplished with corrupt people, he said. He said political parties at loggerheads with each other before the general election were now making alliance while putting the national interest aside. He said piles of public expectations would be faced by PTI government which would not be fulfilled sooner. The labourer has no expectations from the new government, he added.

Tayyab Ali Khan said making an honest team would be an uphill task for Imran Khan while the youth had trusted in him by setting aside the politics of inheritance. He said the country was facing numerous challenges on economic, social and security fronts and the new government would face critical challenges. He said Imran Khan always spoke on public issues so now public would wait for positive development.

Farha Naz Naqvi said that Imran Khan’s victory speech covered all the serious public issues and it had made the public hopeful. She said, unfortunately, all sectors, including the health, education, agriculture and industry, were on decline so the public voted for change. She said 45 per cent youth was an asset and if they were not directed rightly, it would become a serious problem. She believed socio-economic justice was a daunting task for the new government besides provision of equal educational and health opportunities.