Daily Times

With a new cabinet is set to swear-in; people are pinning hopes that those to be entrusted with the portfolios will demonstrate high degree of efficiency to resolve their problems at gross-root level.

Back then, there have been several economists stressing that Pakistan’s economy is facing economic crisis for the last few years. Then, there are few others with the belief that some signs of improvement have emerged as result of the decisions taken by the previous coalition government put the economy on track. Overall, the final hope lies in the coalition government as how it could meet challenge of bringing economic stability by and large correlated to political stability. Amongst main problems people of the country facing is steep inflation being measured as the highest in ratio (28%) here contrary to other countries of South Asia.

High interest rates, unemployment and the burden of unnecessary taxes especially on utility bills are equally putting lives of the people in awesome circumstances. The miseries are multiplied further following dearth of clean drinking water, sewage issues with shortage of basic amenities of life, needed to get immediate attention after cobbling together the coalition government since no political party succeeded to rule solely after the elections results, said Khawaja Shafique and Ghazanfar abbas, the traders unionists. They expected the upcoming government to give priority to the said issues as ‘people are dying to meet common living standard of their lives’.

The supremo of PML-N, Mian Nawaz Sharif in the recent electoral campaign has pledged to bring down prices of essential commodities and create employment opportunities. The expected coalition rule of the government is unquestionably going to be the most challenging one in terms of ensuring economic recovery that couldn’t be achieved without combating corruption. MPA Nadeem Qureshi expects the government to control corruption for it drains public resources away from education, healthcare, and effective infrastructure.

Dr Muqarrab, Professor of Department of Political Science of Bahauddin Zakariya University pressed on the country’s leadership to hold primary focus on re-building the economy. He said the incoming government will have to reduce dependence on IMF, riding of foreign loans with abstaining from the default risk hovering over the country. To him, that would be the government’s foremost challenge ahead of the formation in just few days.

Residents of Surij Miani, known vicinity situated in NA-149 covering 108 Kanal of area with more than 20 commercial buildings is having narrow roads caused trafficking jam as routine affair of life. The inhabitants expect the government to widen the main road in the bazaar on priority basis after getting into power.

Amir Dogar, the PTI- backed independent candidate being elected from the constituency told the scribe the matter was in the queue already and pledged to get it resolved when his party would come into power. The February 8 elections were appeared milestones for the women being fundamental prerequisite for the genuine democracy.

As many as 11 women got elected from constituencies of the National Assembly contrary to 2018 when eight female contestants succeeded to secure seats from across the country. It included: Maryam Nawaz Shareef (NA119) Shandana Gulzar (NA30), Aniqa Bhatti (NA67), Nosheen Iftikhar (NA73), Shizra Mansab (NA112), Ayesha Nazir (NA156), Tehmina Dultana (NA158), Zartaj Gul (NA185), Nafisa Shah (NA202), Shazia Marri (NA209) and Aasia Ishaq (NA232).

Zuhra Sajjad Zaidi, a renowned women activist and member of the Human Rights Commission said, “Despite the fact that womens’ participation in the constitutional framework has increased as result of the current election, but it is a fact that their participation in the mainstream politics used to remain in the background.”

She expected that the coming government to offer elected females a significant share with objective of uplifting the under-developed segments of women surviving in remote areas of South Punjab.

Associate Professor of the Woman University, Tahira Kalsoom reposed confidence on ‘smooth transfer of power’. Buoyed by the huge turnout in the election, she said it caused possible only by turning up the historic number of youth with equal majority of women to polling station on the election day. To her, additional education facilities for girls should be a high priority for the incoming Punjab government.