Little to celebrate after 100 days of Pakistan government
July 6th, 2008 - 4:37 pm ICT by IANS
Islamabad, July 6 (IANS) There was little to celebrate in Pakistan - and worries were galore - as the Pakistan Peoples Party-led coalition government completed its first 100 days Sunday. “Even a faithful compliance with some of the promises Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani made in his 100-day agenda was overshadowed by more spectacular political and administrative failures and seemingly unending economic hardships,” Dawn newspaper said.
“And the government has yet to come up with something more credible to reassure the people it will do better in the future.”
Gilani got a historic, unanimous vote of confidence from the National Assembly March 29 before announcing priorities of the coalition government.
Events took dramatic turns within the first 100 days of the people elected government. And it had to struggle against heavy odds with some allies turning distrustful all too soon.
The PPP was left to take the blame for all unpleasant actions. Such as big increases in petroleum, power and gas prices and military operations against militants in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and tribal areas.
The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) quit the cabinet only six weeks after joining it to protest the non-restoration of the judges deposed by President Pervez Musharraf last November.
The alliance partner is now threatening to quit the coalition altogether if it were not done within this month.
Reservations over certain government moves are being publicly voiced also by two NWFP-based smaller partners, the Awami National Party and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam led by Moulana Fazlur Rehman.
The new government’s troubles encouraged the discredited Pakistan Muslim League-Q of Musharraf’s loyalists to dub Gilani’s performance as “100 days of betrayal”, the newspaper said.
“Non-restoration of the deposed judges cost the government much in credibility as did the failure to check the price spirals. (This) all put together stole the shine from Gilani’s fulfilled promises such as increase in salaries of government employees, higher minimum wages and removal of some media curbs.”
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