PTI is basking in the glory of its stunning victory in Punjab by-polls where it bagged 15 seats out of 20 in the Punjab Assembly. In a bid to give back to its voters, it seems that PTI is already making policy promises, for instance, bringing back the health card.
To clarify, major (R) Ghulam Sarwar, who won Sahiwal’s PP-202 constituency with 61,989 votes as per unofficial results, has claimed that he will request Imran Khan to restore health cards in Punjab.
“As newly elected MPA PP-202, I will request our leader Imran Khan to first restore the health card in Punjab!!” he tweeted in the wee hours of Tuesday.
بطور نومنتخب ایم پی اے پی پی 202
اپنے قائد عمران خان سے گزارش کرونگا کہ سب سے پہلے پنجاب میں صحت کارڈ بحال کر دیاجاے!!— Maj Muhmmad Ghulam Sarwar (@major_sarwar) July 18, 2022
Pertinent to mention that as soon as the PML-N government forcefully came into power, reports emerged that the government is shutting down welfare projects launched by its predecessor i.e. PTI. The reports amassed immense backlash for the PML-N government.
However, PML-N spokesperson and Federal Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb termed the reports regarding the closure of welfare programs as baseless. Nevertheless, claims were still made that the PML-N had ended PTI’s health cards.
Read more: Nawaz Sharif’s pictures on Sehat cards?
Furthermore, Sehat Cards have been terminated in the tribal districts to the dismay of the local residents who demand that tribal districts are now part of K-P and that the provincial government be responsible for its funding rather than the federal government.
While responding to the criticism, Taimur Jhaghra said that the decision to stop the Sehat Card for 1.2 million families of the tribal districts is a unilateral and illegal act by the federal government.
What’s next?
PTI’s victory on 20 seats of the Punjab Assembly is of paramount importance as it will now decide the fate of Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz. To clarify, with a now majority, PTI is likely to defeat PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz when a recount of votes for the chief minister election takes place on July 22.
According to political analysts, the new Chief Minister will be from PML-Q, possibly Chaudhry Parvez Elahi himself since he has previously served in the post from 2002 to 2007.
Read more: Imran Khan discusses strategy with Parvez Elahi after sweeping Punjab
Moreover, PTI has demanded early elections. If the PML-N government does not comply then chances are that the political instability will rise again as PTI will form government in Punjab.
Important to note that PML-N’s hold only remains in the federal. It has essentially lost all provincial governance because PPP is ruling in Sindh, BAP in Balochistan (subject to change since Jamiat Ulema-e-Islami was the biggest party with 130 seats in the LG polls), PTI in KPK, and now perhaps in Punjab too which was initially PML-N’s stronghold.