Web Desk (By, Majid Siddiqui): Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf’s Chairman and now Prime Minister Imran Khan made many promises during election campaign and other wise, which he pledged to achieve within the first 100 days of taking office. His plans included cleaning up corruption, improving governance and saving public finances through an austerity drive.
Imran Khan took oath as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan on August 18, 2018. His party’s ascent to power preceded calls for ending corruption and dynastic rule in the country.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s first 100 days was a roller coaster ride. While the government was embroiled in controversies – some of its own creation – they also formed numerous committees and laid the foundation for different projects including the flagship ‘Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme’ and the ‘Clean Green Pakistan’ campaign.
Following is time line of Success, Failure and Controversies of last 100 days?
August 18: Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf Chief Imran Khan took oath as 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan after winning the election 2018.
August 19: Prime Minister unveils his 21-member cabinet, 12 of who held key positions in the regime of military ruler General (r)Pervez Musharraf.
August 19: Supreme Court takes suo moto notice of a video showing PTI MPA, Imran Ali Shah, assaulting a senior citizen in Karachi.
No one is above the law is the basic premise of Imran Khan’s Naya Pakiatan. An elected MPA taking the law into his own hands,for whatever reason,is completely unacceptable.We condemn this behaviour and expect strict action to be taken.
Show cause notice has been issued to the MPA pic.twitter.com/isGlFKovcV— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 14, 2018
August 20: The PTI gets its chief minister elects in Punjab, Pakistan most populous and politically important province, with the help of coalition partners.
August 22: Through Twitter, the newly-elected prime minister invited India for dialogue on all conflicts.
August 25: Controversy erupts over a readout of a phone call between US Secretary of State and Imran Khan. Washington insists there was talk of terrorism between the two, while the foreign office denies it.
August 28: Rizwan Gondal, a district police officer in Punjab, is transferred abruptly for failing to apologize to the first lady’s former husband. The move leads to questions about PTI’s claims of merit.
August 29: PTI’s own parliamentarian, Aamir Liaquat Hussain accuses the party leadership of ignoring legislators from Karachi.
Images of the Punjab’s chief minister traveling with his family on a private plane emerge. Separately, Khan’s ministers are forced to defend his decision to use a helicopter to travel from his residence to the PM house.
August 30: Information minister announces plans to establish a “unified” media regulatory body to police print, visual and social media. Critics see this as a way to further censorship and impose more curbs on the freedom of the press.
September 3: As promised in its manifesto, the PTI-led government launches a countrywide drive to plant 10 billion trees in Pakistan over five years.
September 4: The PTI is successful in having its nominee elected as the president of Pakistan, after the opposition parties fail to field a consensus candidate.
September 7: Crumbling under pressure from religious political parties, the government removes Atif R. Mian, a Princeton University economist, from the Economic Advisory Council. The decision was seen as a U-turn since earlier state ministers defended his appointment and refuse to reverse it. After Mian’s removal, two more members of the Council resign in protest.
September 13: The PTI government in Punjab sends show-cause notices to two deputy commissioners after they complain of political meddling by PTI legislators.
September 16: The government opens the previously inaccessible governor houses in Sindh and Punjab to the public.
September 17: The prime minister pledges to grant citizenship to the Afghan and Bengali refugees born in Pakistan. Khan later backtracks and tells the parliament that no decision has yet been taken.
September 24: The prime minister announces the introduction of the Prime Minister’s Questions Hour every week, where he will answer queries on governance. However in the first 100 days it was not initiated.
September 27: A image shows PTI leader Jahangir K. Tareen, who had been disqualified by the Supreme Court from holding public office, attend a cabinet meeting in Islamabad.
September 28: The firebrand Information Minister calls the rival parliamentarians “dacoits” who squander public finances. Thereafter, begins a back and forth between the opposition and the information minister which carries on for weeks until the minister apologizes.
September 30: Despite the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority pushing for an uptick in petroleum prices, the rates are unchanged so as not to burden the public.
October 1: PTI parliamentarian, Karamat Ali Khokhar, and an MPA are reprimanded by the Supreme Court for attempting to prevent the arrest of a notorious land grabber, Mansha Bomb.
October 4: The government reinstates restriction on non-filers from purchasing cars and land.
October 4: A damning inquiry report, prepared on the orders of the apex court, holds the CM Punjab responsible for exerting undue influence to transfer Rizwan Gondal, a senior police officer. The chief minister had earlier denied any interference.
On October 09: Local currency began to depreciate against dollar and reached at the nerve-racking level of Rs. 138 after an increase of Rs.10.28 in interbank market and Rs. 11.20 in open markets.
October 9: A recently-appointed inspector general Punjab, Mahmood Tahir, is replaced, after only a month in office. The same day a senior police official, Nasir K. Durrani, heading the police reforms commission, resigns. There has been no replacement for Durrani to date.
October 14: PTI loses nine seats – national and provincial – in by-polls, which it has previously won, including the two vacated by the prime minister.
October 15: Agreeing to the oppositions’ demand, the government forms a 30-member committee to probe allegations of rigging and fraud in the general election.
October 17: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s latest appointment of close friend, Sahibzada Amir Jahangir, as the special assistant on foreign investment, becomes controversial due to an alleged case of fraud in the UK.
October 18: In what is seen as revenge politics, the PTI government in Punjab ends subsides on fares of the Metro Bus service in Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi, inviting the ire of the opposition parties.
October 21: PTI fails to pick up the provincial seat vacated by its governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shah Farman, in another round of by-election. Farman later admitted that awarding the party ticket to his brother was a mistake.
October 22: Before leaving for Saudi Arabia, Khan reportedly tells the foreign media that Pakistan is “desperate for money”. The comments cause a storm. PTI ministers then deny that permission for an interview were granted to foreign reporters.
October 23: Saudi Arabia commits a $12 billion financial package, including $3 billion as balance of payment support and $3 billion worth oil on deferred payments, to help Pakistan manage its economic crises.
October 24: The Supreme Court accepts a petition challenging the appointment of Imran Khan’s close aid, Zulfikar Bukhari, as the special assistant to the PM, due to his dual nationality.
October 25: The editor of an Israeli daily triggers a maelstrom of speculations after he tweets that a private aircraft secretly travelled from Tel Aviv to Islamabad. The government rubbishes the claim.
October 29: The Supreme Court suspends the abrupt transfer of Islamabad police chief, Jan Muhammad. The officer was relocated by the PM after he refused action on a complaint filed by federal minister Azam Swati regarding an altercation at his farmhouse. Later, a probe team also held Swati responsible for the incident.
October 28: In its 100-day agenda, the PTI had pledge to “create national consensus on the creation of a South Punjab province.” At the end of 100 days, only a committee has been formed by the CM Punjab. It is unclear if members of the committee have reached out to other political parties.
November 7: After the prime minister’s five-day visit to China, it agrees to increase imports from Pakistan by $2.2 billion by the end of the next fiscal year, according to the advisor to the PM on commerce, industry and investment.
November 2: The prime minister warns of strict action against protesters from the Tehreek-e-Labbaik political party. But his ministers instead sign a peace agreement with the rioting men. The agreement is seen as a failure of the government to impose its writ.
November 11: A video surfaces showing PML-Q ministers pleading with PTI senior leader, Jahangir K. Tareen to restrain Punjab’s governor from interfering in the administrative work of the province. The PML-Q and PTI are coalition partners.
November 14: A senior police officer, Tahir Dawar, is kidnapped from the capital on the government’s watch. However, a probe committee is formed two weeks later, after he is killed in Afghanistan.
November 18: Prime Minister Imran Khan is at the receiving end of much flak, after he is quoted using fascist leaders, Adolf Hilter and Napoleon Bonaparte, as examples to justify his constant U-turns on issues.
November 22: The prime minister and chief of army staff’s proposal to reopen the Kartarpur corridor is approved by the Indian cabinet. The corridor from Gurdaspur, India, to Narowal, Pakistan, would facilitate Sikh pilgrims. It is seen as a possible development of cooperation between the two arch rivals.
November 28: Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of Kartarpur corridor. Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, which is three kilometres from the India-Pakistan border, is the final resting place of Guru Nanak. Kartarpur Sahib is located across Ravi river in Pakistan and is about four km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine.
Over All Performance:
Four Firings:
• Inspector General of Police (IGP), Punjab, Mohammad Tahir
• Islamabad Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Jan Muhammad
• Pakpattan District Police Officer (DPO) Rizwan Gondal
• Atif Mian, an economist, was asked to step down from the Economic Advisory Council (EAC)
Seven Resignations:
• Nasir Khan Durrani resigned as chairman of the Commission on Police Reforms and Implementation in Punjab.
• Babar Awan resigned as adviser to the prime minister on parliamentary affairs
• Najam Sethi steps down as chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
• Sahibzada Amir Jahangir, appointed by the Prime Minister as his special assistant on foreign investment, refused to take charge
• Dr. Imran Rasul and Asim Ijaz Khawaja resign from the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) after Atif Mian’s removal
• Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan, the governor of Gilgit-Baltistan, submits his resignation to the president.
Five Foreign Trips:
• Two-day visit to Saudia Arabia and UAE on September 18.
• Imran Khan attends the investment conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 23 and 24.
• Five-day visit to China from November 1 to 5
• One-day trip to UAE on November 18.
• Two-day official trip to Malaysia from Nov.20 to Nov.21
12 Initiatives Launched:
• Pakistan Citizen Portal (October 28)
• Clean and Green Pakistan (October 13)
• Registration for Naya Pakistan Housing Program (October 10)
• Prime Minister’s 100 Days Agenda Progress Tracker Website launched (October 5)
• Ten billion Tree drive (September 2)
• The Supreme Court of Pakistan and Prime Minister of Pakistan Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dams Fund (September 11)
• Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone for model shelter homes in Lahore for the homeless in the city (November 10)
• The federal cabinet chaired by the prime minister formed a task force to retrieve ill-gotten wealth stashed by Pakistanis in foreign countries (September 6)
• Under the PM’s directives, a Commission on Police Reforms and Implementation was launched in Punjab to ensure the police service of the province it not subject to political interferences (September 18)
• Formation of a Civil Law Reforms committee that is tasked to propose suggestions for the speedy and effective disposal of cases, amongst other things (September 12)
• Taskforce for Tourism established by the PM (September 29)
• Taskforce to propose a new local government system in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (September 11)
Three Address To Nation:
August 19: In his maiden speech, Prime Minister Imran Khan outlined his plan for the new Pakistan he aims to create in his five-year tenure, touching upon a wide range of issues, including poverty reduction and austerity measures
October 24: Khan announced that Saudi Arabia has offered Pakistan a financial package of $6 billion. In the same address, he also lashed out at the opposition and promised that no NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance] will be offered to those being probed for corruption.
October 31: The prime minister warned agitators of strict action after the Supreme Court acquitted Asia Bibi, a poor Christian woman on death row.
One Legislation:
While several bills have been drafted by the PTI government, it could only pass one legislation, the Financial Supplementary (Amendment) Bill 2018 on October 3. (according to the FAFEN findings)
Five U-Turns:
• Presenting an emergency supplementary budget, Asad Umar, the finance minister, announced that non-filers will be allowed to purchase new cars and property. Umar said the decision was taken to facilitate overseas Pakistanis. However, a few weeks later the government rescinded the tax-benefit granted to non-filers.
• The government appointed Atif R. Mian, a Princeton University economist, to the PM-led Economic Advisory Council. But then removed him under pressure from the religious political parties. The decision was seen as an about-turn as the information minister had earlier defended the appointment.
• The prime minister pledged to grant citizenship to the Afghan and Bengali refugees born in Pakistan. Imran Khan later backtracked and told the parliament that no such decision had yet been taken.
• In a televised address, Prime Minister Imran Khan warned rioting leaders of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) political party that the writ of the state will be imposed, if the protesters continue to block streets. However, three-days later, his ministers signed a peace agreement with the TLP.
• After much dithering, and weighing up other options, the new government began talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout package. In 2014, while in the opposition Imran Khan had severely criticised the then-ruling party’s decision to seek assistance from the lending body. Analysts and political leaders saw this as yet another about-face by the leader.
Zero U-Turns on Imran Khan’s statement about U-Turns, in which he defended his habit to rollback decisions taken earlier and called the trait a “hallmark of great leadership.”
7 percent Inflation:
Pakistan’s annual inflation rate is recorded at 7 per cent in October, the highest in four years. The surge has been attributed to hike in gas prices and the currency devaluation.
The PM House has held five auctions to sell 102 luxury vehicles of the PM House. Of which only 64 have been sold so far, (Breakdown: 62 on Sep. 17, 1 on October 7, 3 on October 25, 1 on November 7).
Eight buffaloes being kept at the Prime Minister house went on sale and were quickly picked up by buyers.
Foreign Dignitaries in Pakistan:
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was the first foreign dignitary to visit the country after PTI assumed power. Zarif met senior military and civilian officials.
The government’s first 100 days also saw diplomatic visits by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was accompanied by Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff General Joseph Dunford and Trump’s special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. Talks were first held with the foreign minister and then with Prime Minister Imran Khan.
China’s foreign minister also arrived in Pakistan. During his stay, the top Chinese official held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi and met PM Imran as well as the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
No head of state visited Pakistan during the first 100 days of PTI’s government.
Civil-military Meetings:
The army chief called on PM Imran four times during the first 100 days. The first visit came after the PM assumed office, the second before Pompeo’s visit to discuss Pak-US relations.
In the third meeting, the COAS was accompanied by ISI chief Naveed Mukhtar.
Imran, army chief meet ahead of Pompeo’s visit.
The fourth meeting came after PM Imran’s visit to China, where both discussed the visit as well the security situation after TLP’s country-wide protests.
The premier also visited the General Headquarters (GHQ) once to attend a crucial briefing by the army chief on defence and internal security matters.
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