Day to day government business won’t run without it
After Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a caretaker cabinet for Sindh has also been sworn in. Punjab and Balochistan are the two provinces where cabinet formation has yet to take place. Similarly, the affairs of the centre are currently being looked after solely by interim Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso. On Friday, Khoso held a meeting of the four new provincial chief ministers to discuss election related issues. There are however other pressing issues also besides the holding of the polls that the federal government can ill afford to ignore. Foremost are the issues related to national economy, law and order and foreign affairs. They require appointment of interim ministers at the earliest.
The caretakers are supposed to hold office only for a short period. The SC, ECP and all major parties have ruled out any possibility of the prolongation of the interim setup which is supposed to end when a newly elected government is ushered in after the May 11 elections. In case any of the parties gains a simple majority, the transfer of power may take no more than a few days. In case of a divided mandate it may take a little more. Khoso as well as some of the provincial caretaker chief ministers have made it known that they would not support any move to extend the tenure of the interim government.
While the Khoso government is not expected to take any policy decision on economic issues, repayments of $785 million to IMF has to be made in three instalments over the next two months. The energy crisis is meanwhile likely to deepen with the increase in seasonal demand generating new pressures. Someone has to be appointed under the circumstances to look after the economy. The Pakistani Taliban are determined to wreak havoc during the elections. The suicide attacks in Peshawar and Mardan and the killing of an ANP leader in Karachi indicate the seriousness of the threat. As the terrorists have a countrywide reach, maintaining law and order cannot solely be the responsibility of the provincial governments as maintained by Khoso in his maiden press conference. There has to be an interior minister to coordinate the working of the federal agencies to effectively deal with the threat. Similarly, a foreign minister and a defence minister are required to respond to regional and international challenges. The provinces may have small cabinets. But they cannot leave the home departments unattended by a minister.
In the absence of the caretaker cabinets at the centre and the provinces, day to day decisions will be taken by bureaucracy. Unlike its counterparts in developed democracies, the institution has been politicised by successive governments, both military and civilian. Unless put under the control of a neutral cabinet, it could take decisions that may cause discontent or give birth to fresh problems.