MANIFESTO
AN AGENDA FOR RESURGENCE

The Manifesto

  Of

  Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

PREAMBLE

A New Beginning

The PTI agenda of resurgence articulates the long neglected aspirations of our people and spells out the vision of a modern Islamic republic that advocates tolerance, moderation and freedom to practice the religion of one’s choice. We look to the future with hope and confidence as we set Pakistan on a course to political stability, social harmony, and economic prosperity for all.

The PTI is not merely a political party; it is a broad based movement that embraces the interests of all Pakistanis. A people whose cultural and ethnic diversities blend into common goals and aspirations for a just society based on a democratic culture and the rule of law.

The PTI is determined to provide a credible new leadership that can restore Pakistan's political and economic sovereignty through building a new bond of trust between the government and the people. Only through the active participation of the people can we collectively mobilize our human and material resources to forge ahead on the road to a confident and self-reliant nation.

Our Ideology

Pakistanis crave dignity and self-respect. Any hope of recovery from the multifaceted crisis engulfing the nation remains illusory without reviving the self-esteem of the people and restoring their confidence in the political leadership. We can achieve this by following the Principles of “Unity, Faith and Discipline” as expounded by the Quaid-e-Azam.

  PTI is committed to transparency in government and an across the board accountability. It believes in federalism and functional autonomy of the provinces, based on the spirit and fundamental principles of parliamentary democracy as envisaged in the 1973 Constitution.

Our strength lies in our people.  Human development would thus remain our highest priority. Pakistan has rich and diverse cultures including those of the minorities. We must nurture and allow every opportunity for this diversity of culture and traditions to flourish.

Our family values bind our society. Despite the grinding poverty and injustice that beset us today, it is the structure of the family that provides the net that keeps the social fabric intact. The present dismal state of women and children in terms of their access to health care, nutrition, and education can not be ignored. Investment in women and children would ensure that the family structure remains intact and future generations are brought up in a healthy and secure environment.

Our Mission

Whilst establishing the rule of law and ensuring protection of human rights through an independent and honest judiciary, strive for the social development and economic prosperity of our citizens, especially the poor and underprivileged masses.

Our Goals

·        Establish Pakistan as a truly independent and sovereign state that becomes a source of pride for our people.

·        Strengthen state institutions to promote democracy and complete political, economic and religious freedom for the people.

·        Provide an accountable and efficient government that ensures the protection of life and property of its citizens.

·        Launch an Education Revolution to promote universal literacy and raise the standard of education in our schools, colleges and universities.

·        Ensure the availability of adequate Healthcare services for all citizens.

·        Highest priority to poverty alleviation through policies aimed at creating more job opportunities and enabling ownership of assets to the poor.

·        A merit based system that provides equal opportunity for employment and upward social mobility for all, specially the working classes

·        Create an environment which encourages the private sector to grow and create greater wealth and employment opportunities.

·        End the VIP culture by setting an example in simple living and an austere lifestyle.

·        Eliminate draconian laws that give unchecked power to Police and the Agencies or which limit the rights of Citizens.

·        A self reliant economy which is free of dependence on foreign aid.

·        Promote regional peace and strengthen our relationships with friendly countries.

INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS

The fundamentals for a free democratic society and democratic culture cannot flourish without strengthening the vital state institutions which are-the Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary. In Pakistan the credibility of these institutions to deliver has been undermined by successive governments while corruption at the highest levels has made them a focus of public scorn and ridicule. The PTI would restore the credibility of vital state institutions and their moral authority to govern through a process of reform.

Constitutional Reforms

The 1973 constitution is a unique and historic document, because it was passed unanimously by the Parliament representing all political parties in the country.  The subsequent battering that it took has left it in tatters. There is a need to go back to the beginning and revive the Constitution in letter and spirit, by doing away with the amendments and laws which go against the basic structure and spirit of the federation and the vision of the Quaid-e- Azam.

By promoting a culture of tolerance and co operation amongst the political parties, within and outside the assemblies, we shall strive for priority to legislation benefiting the common man and curtail the Presidential powers of promulgating ordinances that benefit only a few.

Judicial Reforms

Repeated interruptions in the democratic process have lot to do with the failure to strengthen the judiciary. The PTI proposes to take following measures to strengthen the judicial system:

·        Set up a Judicial Commission to recommend and approve judicial appointments in the High Courts and the Supreme Court and to draw up a code of ethics for judges and to undertake their accountability;

·        Vacancies in the superior courts would be filled up and sufficient number of courts and judges provided at the lower levels for easy access to justice and to clear the backlog of cases pending in courts.

·        The parallel judicial systems such as special judges will be dispensed with;

·        The appointments to subordinate judiciary will be made only through Public Service Commissions, which will be made autonomous.

·        In order to attract the best lawyers to accept judicial appointments, emoluments of judges will be raised and appropriate facilities provided.

·        A Panchayat System, with specific rules and regulations, would be introduced at the local level to perform primarily as arbitration forums and as Small Causes Courts;

·        The legal aid system for impoverished litigants with good causes will be strengthened;

·        Additional court buildings and facilities will be provided where required and the existing facilities improved and modernized.

·        Court procedures will be simplified and streamlined to avoid unnecessary expenditure and delays in settlement of cases.

·        The legal education system will be reformed to raise standards and facilities for higher legal education.

Electoral Reforms

Elections in a democratic society are critical milestones to further strengthen the democratic process. They provide a sifting course through which the quality of leadership progressively improves. Without major reforms, there is little hope that more elections under the present institutional framework can ever propel an honest leadership that this country so desperately needs. To ensure free and fair elections with maximum turnout, the PTI proposes to institute the following electoral reforms:

·        Strengthen the Election Commission’s capacity to enforce electoral rules and regulations by ensuring complete administrative and financial autonomy. Appropriate administrative powers across the country shall be given to the chief election commissioner for the election period.

·        Provide for easy registration of voters instead of the current cumbersome process.

·        Easy access to voters list for people to check their votes, by putting these online and displaying at convenient places.

·        Ban appointment, transfers, and promotions of civil servants after the announcement of the election schedule without the permission of the Election Commission;

·        A person convicted of any genuine criminal offence and sentenced to imprisonment would be barred from contesting elections even if an appeal is pending in any court of law;

·        Those who have had loans written off and resorted to deliberate loan defaults would be barred from contesting elections.

Strengthening the Federation

Federalism by definition means a form of government in which the constitution distributes powers between center and provinces including the power to promulgate laws, collect and share revenues, and maintain law and order. True devolution of power can only start with giving due autonomy to the provinces as envisaged in the Constitution.

The PTI believes that citizens of the four federating units have equal rights to education, health care, economic growth opportunities, and justice. To date, the revenue sharing criteria for all finance awards was based purely on population. In a federation where the federating units differ widely in terms of per capita income, population density, administrative infrastructure, ability to raise taxes, and fiscal discipline, it is not fair to base the revenue sharing formula on population only.

The present resource distribution formula deprives the people of some regions and provinces of their self sustenance needs and condemns them to perpetual poverty and poor quality of life. The bulk of provincial resources come from taxes collected and distributed by the federal government. Without equitable sharing of resources between provinces, the impact of devolving powers to the provinces and the districts would be of little consequence. The PTI intends to strengthen the federation by introducing following reforms;

·           Provincial autonomy as envisaged in the constitution will be adhered to in letter and spirit.

·           Allow greater administrative autonomy to the provinces in the appointment of key civil servants such as; Chief Secretaries, IGs etc.

·           The outdated FATA administrative system will be done away with through appropriate amendments in the FCR based on the wishes of the people of FATA. .Powers in FATA shall be devolved to lower level in conformity with the system in the settled areas. .Party Act shall also be made applicable to FATA areas.

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