Wikipedia

Draft:Chief ministership of Parvez Elahi

Parvez Elahi
چوہدری پرویز الٰہی
Parvez Elahi during his second tenure as Chief minister.
14th & 18th Chief Minister of Punjab, Pakistan
In office
27 July 2022 – 22 January 2023
PresidentArif Alvi
Prime MinisterShehbaz Sharif
GovernorBaligh Ur Rehman
Preceded byHamza Shahbaz
Succeeded byMohsin Raza Naqvi (caretaker)
In office
29 November 2002 – 18 November 2007
PresidentPervez Musharraf
Prime Minister
See list
GovernorKhalid Maqbool
Personal details
BornChief Minister of Punjab
DiedChief Minister of Punjab
Resting placeChief Minister of Punjab
Political partyPakistan Muslim League (Q) (while in office)
Parent
  • Chief Minister of Punjab

Chaudhary Parvez Elahi has served as Chief Minister of Punjab, Pakistan twice, and for a total of 5 years, and 168 days.[1] He served under the political party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Q). His longest and most influential tenure was from 2002 to 2007 after the 2002 Punjab provincial election, in which he initiated several projects and was supported by military general and President, Pervez Musharraf.[2][3] His second tenure was from late 2022 to early 2023 amid the 2022 Constitutional Crisis in Punjab, as well as amid major political unrest in Pakistan.[4] He is widely known as one of the most influential Chief Ministers of Punjab, having brought significant reforms to the province.[5][6][7]

As Chief Minister, Parvez launched several initiatives to develop the province, including the Multan Institute of Cardiology, which Elahi founded and worked to establish. Some of his most successful projects include the Rescue 1122 helpline system, the University of Gujrat, the Lahore Ring Road and several other irrigation and social projects that were founded in his tenure. He has received appraisal for his work as Chief Minister.[5] He was and has been politically opposed to long time serving Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.[8]

Election

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Main article: 2002 Punjab provincial election
 
The Punjab Assembly during Elahi's first tenure

In the 2002 Punjab provincial election, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi led the newly formed Pakistan Muslim League (Q) party, which was founded with the backing of military president Pervez Musharraf. The PML (Q) would campaign on a social developmental platform under Parvez Elahi and his Chaudhry family.[9]

The elections would result in a large victory for the PML (Q), though many alleged it was because of the party’s backing by Musharraf.[10] The elections in Punjab and nationwide resulted in victory for the PML (Q) though it was forced to join a coalition with the PPPP and National Alliance. In total, Parvez Elahi and the PML (Q) won 210 seats in Punjab out of which 168 were directly elected non-reserved seats.

 
Parvez as Chief Minister of Punjab in 2006 during his first tenure

First Tenure (2002-2007)

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Inauguration

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Further information: First Parvez Elahi provincial government

Parvez Elahi was sworn in as Chief Minister of Punjab on 29 November, 2002 while most of the ministers in his provincial cabinet were sworn in January 2003.[11][12] His first tenure oversaw a period of political stability with him holding the Military-backed President, Governor and Prime Minister's support. Due to this, he was able to serve a full tenure, and was able to initiate many programs and initiatives. His provincial cabinet was comprised of many new politicians from the PML (Q) including Muhammad Basharat Raja, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Aleem Khan and Sibtain Khan while his governor would be Khalid Maqbool, appointed by Pervez Musharraf.[13][14]

Reforms, Projects, and Policies

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Three-Year Plan

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In June 2003, Parvez Elahi unveiled a comprehensive three-year plan focusing on education, healthcare, welfare, agriculture, and governance reforms. In education, the plan allocated Rs. 21 billion over three years to improve government schools, focusing on providing essential infrastructure, furniture, and teacher training programs. It aimed to reduce dropout rates by offering incentives such as cooking oil for female students attending school regularly. School councils were also to be established in villages to oversee progress and ensure accountability.[15]

Rs. 10 billion was set aside to strengthen healthcare facilities, including upgrading district and tehsil hospitals. The plan included building a cardiac center in Multan for Rs. 1 billion and expanding a successful pilot project that offered higher salaries to doctors in underserved areas. The government prioritized subsidies on power for agricultural tubewells and set aside Rs. 2 billion for canal lining and upgrading water channels. It also introduced flat water rates and reduced interest on agricultural loans. The plan sought to improve local governance by increasing funding for local governments and introducing monitoring systems for development projects. Rs. 65 billion was allocated for local government projects, with additional funds earmarked for paying off utility bills in well-performing municipal administrations. The plan also included infrastructure projects such as the construction of Lahore’s Ring Road and promoting housing schemes with reduced registration fees. Parvez also expressed the need for opposition parties, primarily the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) for their cooperation on the plan.[15]

Education Sector Reforms

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A campus of the University of Gujrat (UoG) constructed by Elahi’s government.

Parvez Elahi, during his tenure as Chief Minister of Punjab, oversaw the Punjab government's construction of the University of Gujrat (UoG) which was completed between 2003 and 2004, becoming the largest university in the city of Gujrat.[16][17] He further oversaw the introduction of the Female Secondary School Stipend program in 2004 as part of the Punjab Education Sector Reforms Programme (PESRP). The program, aimed at improving female enrollment in public schools, targeted 15 of Punjab's lowest-literacy districts. Utilizing difference-in-difference (DD) and regression-discontinuity design (RDD) analyses by the World Bank, the intervention was found to increase female enrollments by 9% and adding an average of six female students per school between 2003 and 2005. Elahi's administration launched this initiative to improve education access and quality across the province of Punjab.[18]

His government made all public schools tuition-free, providing free education up to secondary school level starting in April 2003 and planned to distribute free textbooks to reduce dropout rates. He encouraged private schools to allocate quotas for orphans and low-income students, while also working to lower private school fees. He also said surprise raids would be conducted to ensure the presence of teachers in schools in remote areas.[19]

Upon reviewing his administration's progress in 2007, Parvez Elahi stated that he launched comprehensive education reforms through the Education Sector Reforms Programme. A key achievement was a significant budget increase for education, alongside initiatives such as providing free education and textbooks up to the matriculation level. Under this program, he stated 180,000 teachers were trained to improve education quality, and financial assistance was extended to private schools in underdeveloped areas. Additionally, he claimed over 4,500 master trainers were deployed across 2,000 clusters to continuously train teachers.[20]

Rescue 1122 Helpline

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Main article: Rescue 1122

On 14 October 2004, the Rescue 1122 (Punjab) helpline was established as a pilot project by the Government of Parvez Elahi. The system was made fully functional under the 2006 Punjab Emergency Service Act to provide management of emergencies such as fire, rescue and emergency medical services. Rescue 1122 (Punjab) is operational in all districts of Punjab with the province having a population of over 110 million and providing technical assistance to other provinces of Pakistan. Rescue 1122 includes emergency ambulance, rescue & fire services and a community safety programme.[21][22][23]

Healthcare Projects

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Parvez established the Multan Institute of Cardiology (MIC) also named the Chaudhry Parvez Elahi Institute of Cardiology (CPEIC) in the city of Multan in 2005. It has completed over a thousand open heart surgeries per year. [24] Elahi claimed that projects in the Nishtar Hospital were completed worth Rs. 1.25 billion while the salaries of doctors were increased from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 25,000. He further announced healthcare projects in Multan.[25] He launched a standard ambulance service in Lahore with its pilot phase in 2004 as part of a primary healthcare system overhaul.[26] He inaugurated the Lahore General Hospital (LGH) which was completed in August 2007. Elahi said the LHG was catering to medical needs of a large portion of population of the city. The bed capacity of the emergency ward was also increased to 110 at a cost of Rs. 200 million. He said 20 computerized dialysis machines had also been provided to the LGH under the Healthy Punjab Programme.[27]

Infrastructural Projects

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Re-Election

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Main article: July 2022 Punjab provincial by-election

Second Tenure (2022-2023)

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Inauguration

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Reforms, Projects and Policies

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Major Projects

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Healthcare

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During his second tenure as Chief Minister, he approved schemes worth Rs.15 Billion in order to provide quality and up-to-date medical services and equipment to areas of Punjab including hospitals in Multan, Faisalabad and Gujrat.[28] He also approved the upgrade of hospital wards and the distribution of free medicines across the province.[29]

Flood Relief

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Rescue 1122 Expansion

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Dissolution of the Punjab Assembly

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Main article: Constitutional crisis in Punjab, Pakistan (2022)





References

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  1. ^ "Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi - Profile - DAWN.COM". 2017-03-05. Archived from the original on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  2. ^ Majeed, Zohaib Ahmed (2024-02-07). "Ranking the 5 'dirtiest' elections in Pakistan history". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  3. ^ "Pervaiz Elahi as chief minister fought terrorists effectively: Wikileaks". 2017-03-05. Archived from the original on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  4. ^ "Pervaiz Elahi sworn in as Punjab chief minister". Daily Pakistan Global. 2022-07-27. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  5. ^ a b Shahnawaz, T., Khursheed, M., & Abbas, M. W. (2020). Political Stability and Social Reforms in Punjab, Pakistan by Pervaiz Elahi. Global Political Review, V(I), 216-223. https://doi.org/10.31703/gpr.2020(V-I).24
  6. ^ Yousaf, Zeeshan; Javed, Muhammad; Razzaq, Abdul; Iqbal, Muhammad (2022-02-23). "COMPARING THE PERVAIZ ELAHI AND SHAHBAZ SHARIF ERAS IN PUNJAB TO EXAMINE GOOD GOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT". Jahan-e-Tahqeeq. 5 (1): 399–411. ISSN 2709-7625.
  7. ^ "Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi | PrideOfPakistan.com". www.prideofpakistan.com/. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  8. ^ "Shehbaz Sharif will now be next to get disqualified, claims Parvez Elahi". Dunya News. 2023-04-12. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  9. ^ "Elections 2002: Emergence of 'king's party' PML-Q amid Nawaz, Benazir exile". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  10. ^ Harding, Luke (2002-10-09). "Musharraf accused of rigging Pakistan's general election". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  11. ^ Hanif, Intikhab (2002-11-30). "Pervaiz sworn in as Punjab CM". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  12. ^ Hanif, Intikhab (2003-01-04). "25-member Punjab cabinet takes oath". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  13. ^ "Punjab Assembly | About Assembly - Cabinet and Functionaries". www.pap.gov.pk. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  14. ^ "LAHORE: Ministers to be retained: Gen Maqbool takes oath". DAWN.COM. 2001-10-30. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  15. ^ a b Hanif, Intikhab (2003-06-14). "Pervaiz unveils three-year uplift plan". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  16. ^ "University of Gujrat, Main Page". Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  17. ^ "University of Gujrat Ranking & Overview 2024". www.4icu.org. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  18. ^ Chaudhury,Nazmul; Parajuli,Dilip. Conditional cash transfers and female schooling : the impact of the female school stipend program on public school enrollments in Punjab, Pakistan (English). Impact evaluation series ; no. IE 9,Policy, Research working paper ; no. WPS 4102 Washington, D.C. : World Bank Group. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/865111468091796792/Conditional-cash-transfers-and-female-schooling-the-impact-of-the-female-school-stipend-program-on-public-school-enrollments-in-Punjab-Pakistan
  19. ^ "School education in Punjab made free". DAWN.COM. 2003-01-05. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  20. ^ "Progress on Punjab education reforms reviewed". Brecorder. 2007-09-12. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  21. ^ "Punjab Emergency Service Department". www.rescue.gov.pk. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  22. ^ "Punjab Emergency Service Department". www.rescue.gov.pk. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  23. ^ Naseer, R.; Tahir, N.; Akbar, A. H. (2012-10-01). "Role of rescue 1122 in the development of safer communities in Pakistan". Injury Prevention. 18 (Suppl 1): A89–A89. doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2012-040590b.1. ISSN 1353-8047.
  24. ^ Siddiqui, Muhammad-Mujtaba Ali; Paras, Iftikhar; Jalal, Anjum (September 2012). "Risk factors of prolonged mechanical ventilation following open heart surgery: what has changed over the last decade?". Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy. 2 (3): 19299–19199. doi:10.3978/j.issn.2223-3652.2012.06.05. ISSN 2223-3660.
  25. ^ "'Multan facility to attract patients from Lahore': Pervaiz Elahi Institute of Cardiology". DAWN.COM. 2007-10-04. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  26. ^ "LAHORE: Healthcare system being overhauled". DAWN.COM. 2004-10-28. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  27. ^ "Pervaiz opens LGH's new emergency". DAWN.COM. 2007-08-04. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  28. ^ "CM launches Rs15b worth of schemes". The Express Tribune. 2022-12-28. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  29. ^ "Punjab CM approves health card extension, free medicines". DAWN.COM. 2022-07-31. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
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