he Awami National Party has rolled out its manifesto for the February general elections, outlining its vision on key governance areas including education, health, culture, women, transgender empowerment and youth and minority affairs. The pervasive theme underlying the document is peace,progress and prosperity. The preamble tracing the party ideology to Bacha Khan’s Khudai KhidmatgaarTehrik with its emphasis on nonviolence, women empowerment, inclusive politics and a pluralistic society is followed by separate sections on domestic and foreign affairs. In the recent decades, the party has braved a spate of hate crime, including terrorist violence from religious extremists. However, this has not deterred its resilient cadres who continue to voice their commitment to upholding fundamental rights and freedomsof all ethnic as well as religious minorities.

Some of the burning issues in the party’s traditional constituency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northern Balochistan and Pakhtun populations in cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, are the Taliban militancy, an uptick in ethnic violence, the economic meltdown, the aftermath of merger of the tribal districts in the KP,the forced repatriation of undocumented Afghan refugees and the promise of rapid development through investments related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Youth development:

The party is promising free education in all public sector universities and a Rs 5,000 monthly stipend for all girlstudents. It proposes to issue Mohafiz Youth Emergency cardsthat will entitle the holders, people in the 16-26 age bracket, to receive Rs 35,000 each annually for purchases at utility stores and fuel stations.

The youth are to be engaged in sports,introduced to information technologymarkets and e-commerce and to receive professional training.A comprehensive policy on modern technology is to be drafted within one year of the ANP coming to power.Freelancing zones are to be set up for software developers and e-commerce at every village council within three years. 10,000 youths from every district are to be provided soft-term loans for launching their own businesses. This way, 350,000 youths in every district are expected to get employed within the first three years.

Free laptop computers are to be distributed among talented university graduates. Silicon valleys are to be set up in four districts.

Multi-purpose sports complexes and academies are to be established throughout the KP. Rehabilitation facilities are to be set up for drug addicts and the youth engaged in anti-societal activities.Participation insports, literary and cultural activities is to be encouraged.

Women and transgender

empowerment:

Stringent legislations is to be enacted to root out all kinds of oppression and violence against women including acid throwing, swara, ghag, child marriage and forced marriage. Educational and vocational institutions are to be set up for the empowerment of women. Women’s representation in the cabinet, committees and panels is to be increased. Women’s right to inheritance is be protected. Centres to train women in handicraft and artsare to be set up.

Harassment of transgender people is to be eradicated. They are to get employment quotas in government as well as private institutions.

Health and education:

The ANP has pledged itself to improving the infrastructure and introducing modern facilities to upgrade and equipgovernment hospitals. Public-private partnershipsare to be encouraged at institutions and organisations working for healthcare. Research and education in support of healthcare is the top priority.

Interfaith harmony and

cultural diversity:

The ANP will promote cultural and linguistic diversity in the KP which is home to over 30 languages and several ethnic minorities. Both performing and visual arts will be promoted. A comprehensive cultural policy is to be adopted.

Eradiation of religious bigotry:

The ANP is opposedto parochial interpretations of religion, traditions and customs. It will work against xenophobia, religious extremism and terrorism in the society.The ANP will uphold and promote Bacha Khan’s discourse of human dignity, pluralism and indigenous wisdom and identity.

The ANP believes that every citizen has an inherent right to hold every public office, including the offices of president and prime minister. The ANP believes that every citizen of Pakistan has the same rights and must have the equal opportunities.

Provincial autonomy:

The ANP is committed to provincial autonomy. The Centre should retain control of defence, foreign affairs, currency, communications and such other subjects that the federating units agree to in the Council of Common Interests. It will ensure full implementation of the 18th Constitutional Amendment, particularly with regards to development of oil, gas and water resources and provision of health and education.

The ANP will continue to build on policies of devolution of powers to the provinces within the provinces to the district governments. The ANP will establish provincial higher education commissions and provincial finance commissions.The ANP is committed to securing full political, social and economic rights for all the federating units of Pakistan as equal partners in the Federation.

The writer is a Peshawar-based journalist. He mostly writes on art, culture, education, youth and minorities. He tweets @Shinwar-9