When the Chief Justice of Pakistan with a consensus decision of the President and the Chief Election Commissioner announced Feb 8 as the election date, many doubted if these would be held on the same date. A newspaper headline, “SC sets election date in stone”, referred to the Chief Justice of Pakistan and should have left no doubt about the election date. Almost all political parties are staging their shows as a mark of election campaigns in various cities. And all of them promise to do whatever is possible in the public interest – providing jobs, assuring health and education but cleverly bypassing an important plan – population control. A few days before the election is precisely the time when politicians are seen among their electorates, intermixing with them and assuring them to spare no effort to promote their followers’ welfare. However, there’s a sure-fire test for the leaders of the main political parties, such as PTI’s Imran Niazi, PMLN’s Mian Nawaz Sharif, and PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his politically shrewd dad Asif Zardari. The political parties headed by these men had the opportunity to form governments and show their performance. They must be asked to speak earnestly about the achievements of their parties in terms of development in public interest during the years they held top political and administrative positions in the country. Showing past performance would be an indisputable test for any top political leader. Other than Nawaz Sharif, none others named above would have anything to show for their performance but smooth talks, followed by claps by fawners. A few days before the election is precisely the time when politicians are seen among their electorates, intermixing with them and assuring them to spare no effort to promote their welfare. To whichever city of the province, young and dashing PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto goes to campaign for elections, he promises to ‘change the destiny of that province’. Someone should question what all his party did for the province of Sindh and Karachi, as a city of high tax collection, during many years the PPP ruled over it. The main objection Bilawal raises against Nawaz Sharif is about his chance of becoming the prime minister for the fourth time. Well, why not, if MNS is a performer? He could improve the sagging economy, which is the country’s bleeding issue; and create employment in the country by improving the pace of development and by providing incentives to the industrialists and foreign investors. Undoubtedly, he enjoys the confidence of many Gulf leaders. Recall how CPEC was put on the back burner during the PTI rule. The decision was not without nefarious motives behind it. The project known as a ‘life changer’ was deferred for as long as Imran Khan ruled as the prime minister. One rarely found mention of CPEC in the TV and print media. It surely annoyed China, our time-tested friend, since the project is in the mutual interest of both countries. If Nawaz Sharif is elected as the premier, the CPEC will get a huge impetus. Some compare IK’s sentence and disqualification with Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification by the court on the flimsy charge of ‘iqama’ and not receiving salary from his son’s outfit. Two decisions are poles apart in nature. It’s unfair to compare Imran Khan with Nawaz Sharif. Khan is a victim of his hubris. They say ignorance, confidence and arrogance form a lethal combination. Khan possesses all of them. He often derided Nawaz Sharif for reading from the prepared script while making a public speech. It’s a sensible decision and surely better than speaking extempore and adding to listeners’ geographical knowledge that Japan and Germany shared a common border. Pun intended. However, the voters have their liking for certain candidates and they would vote for them for whatever reason. But I strongly suggest the voters elect a party that diligently works in their interest. Common man’s needs are limited. All he needs is a source of earning, free education and health services for himself and his family. Forgive me for repeating a fact I quoted in my last article that 26 million children don’t attend schools – a great negligence on the part of any government in power. To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the rural areas must be given top priority. Jobs could be created by setting up industries on barren lands by offering the entrepreneurs tax exemption and cheap electricity. It would provide jobs where the unemployed live. Moreover, it will discourage them from moving to big towns in search of jobs and creating civic problems in already overpopulated cities. Districts Dera Ghazi Khan, especially its tehsil Taunsa, Muzafargarh and Rajanpur have large stretches of barren lands waiting to be industrialised. The writer is a Lahore-based columnist and can be reached at pinecity@gmail.com