Game of musical chairs in federal cabinet
Col (r) Ikram Ullah Khan
The confusing rapidity with which the federal cabinet has been witnessing a reshuffling exercise during the past two-and-a half year has broken all the previous records.
The latest shake-up comes at a time when PM Imran Khan’s government enters a period of third budget-making hardly two months ahead of expected presentation of next fiscal year budget. This is Khan’s fifth reshuffle in the federal cabinet since he assumed power in August 2018. This crude experimentation is likely to continue in the future as well given the dissatisfaction of PM Imran Khan over his team’s performance and the kind of temperament he possesses. He looks askance at some of his cabinet members and rightly so because some members of his cabinet team happen to be a potpourri of renegade elements who are being considered as aliens by party stalwarts.
Moreover, PM Khan has not been able to take himself out of the dreamy cricket world. He considers the country as a cricket stadium and two hundred million Pakistanis as a cricket team whom he has had the privilege to captain. He fails to understand that captaining a cricket team and running a huge country are two markedly different feats.
It may be recalled that before coming to power, Khan had told the public more than once during his address to highly charged public rallies that he had prepared a team of 200 outstanding professionals headed by Asad Umar to look after the country’s economic affairs. But soon after assuming power it dawned on him that he had a team of novices that was unable to deliver. In a desperate attempt to overcome this deficiency, he has been making experiments after experiments by effecting a rapid shake-up in the cabinet as if this is the only solution to steer the country out of the deep economic morass. But this has proved to be a futile exercise.
Instead of making things change for the better, it has exacerbated the worsening economic situation which has already been in tatters. With the honeymoon period already over, PM Khan is left with nothing but the stark realization that his government wouldn’t be able to survive without bringing perceptible improvement in the lives of the masses. He must realize that he can ill afford to make more experiments in this regard. Coming few months are crucial for his political survival. Both the micro and macroeconomic indicators tell a different story than the rosy picture which Khan’s incompetent economic team has been painting. Not even a single development project worth the name has been launched during the past two and a half year while he is in the midway of his mandated tenure. He must realize that setting up almonries (langar khanas) and shelter homes (panahgahs) are not the permanent solution to people’s economic woes.
This could only make them beggars and increase their dependency syndrome. Economy has literally taken a nosedive; and only a miracle can put it back on the right track. Circular debt which Khan’s economic team was boasting of to have reduced to zero has increased manifold during the past one and a half year and is snowballing with every passing month. In a bid to keep it within the manageable limits and also in order to fulfil IMF’s conditionalities, electricity rates are being increased on monthly basis. Moreover, elimination of current fiscal deficit which was considered to be the only saving grace of Khan’s government is back to square one. Skyrocketing inflation has broken the back of even the affluent.
In such a dismal economic scenario, Shaukat Tareen, a former banker and finance minister during PPP regime has made a dramatic entry waving a magic wand as a fourth finance minister in less than three years, and is presented by Imran Khan as a panacea for all the economic ills that Abdul Hafeez Sheikh has left. In his maiden press talk immediately after taking over as the fourth finance minister, he has given a glad tiding to the nation of a possible economic turnaround. What miraculous feat is he going to perform, no one knows. He has given the people a lavish hope to take the annual GDP growth rate from present 0.4 % to 6 % by the end of 2023. Interestingly, Abdul Hafeez Sheikh too was eulogized by Imran Khan till the last moment when he was unceremoniously shown the door after he fell from grace having lost the political duel to Gilani in Senate elections.
As regards other ministerial changes, to start with the young party stalwart Hammad Azhar, he has been made a rolling stone with the present portfolio as federal minister for energy (power division) being the fifth one in a row and with no surety that he would continue even with the present slot. You may hear one fine morning that Hammad Azhar is changed for the sixth time and the indispensable political renegade Omar Ayub Khan whose ministry has been swapped with Hammad Azhar and who has the ability to secure his seat in every successive once again. Surprisingly, Abdul Razak Dawood who again is famous for making appearance as a so-called technocrat in successive governments in the past and a pseudo-intellectual in Khan’s cabinet, seems to have dug in his heel deep despite the fact that he has been one of the poorest performers in Khan’s cabinet. The country has witnessed an unprecedented trade deficit with him as trade and commerce minister in the saddle. Imports are increasing while exports are declining day by day thus causing a huge trade deficit. If at all there is any need to bring about cabinet reshuffling, Abdul Razak Dawood should be the first one to be sent packing. Besides, a fleet of advisors and Special Assistants (SAPM) with least productivity are a great drain on the already waning economy.
PM Khan needs to understand that at the end of the day, the buck stops with him. But he seems to be satisfied with fired cartridges he has loaded his gun with and yet he expects to hit the bull’s-eye. What an amateur marksman he happens to be!
Having said all that, one can’t and shouldn’t doubt the noble intentions and personal integrity of PM Khan who has been working hard day in and day out even at the cost of his health to bring about a positive and meaningful change (tabdeeli) in the country. But mere good intentions are not enough to achieve the desired goals especially when all evil forces are unitedly operating against you. One needs a dedicated, competent, sincere, thorough professional and well prepared team to combat the myriad challenges which, unluckily, Khan sahib has not been able to build. However, we shouldn’t be parsimonious in expressing our sympathies with Khan sahib and show solidarity with him who has turned out to be the lone courageous and doughty fighter against corrupt mafias which is rather a rare phenomenon in today’s world.
Last but not the least, the forthcoming budget which is hardly two months away is going to be the litmus test for PM Imran Khan to determine whether or not he would be able to meet the unsurmountable economic challenges his government has been facing right from day one.