The PM ‘shuffling’ his options
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif must be very careful as he goes about rearranging his cabinet. That the kitchen cabinet needs an overhaul has been apparent for some time now. There are numerous functioning problems in the present setup. First of all, Sharif has made the mistake of not assigning dedicated ministers to the most important ministries. He continues to hold the foreign ministry along with the premiership, for example. This particular arrangement was bound to slow the foreign ministry. And in the present external circumstances, with India becoming difficult on the eastern border, Afghanistan transitioning in many ways across the western border, and Iran and China having concerns of their own, the need for a full-time foreign minister must have been felt severely. Even if this realisation has now been found, which remains to be seen, much time has been lost.
Similarly, Khawaja Asif’s holding of the Defence and Water and Power portfolios, when one is busy with a war and the other drowned in a serious crisis, does not make sense. It is little surprise, in hindsight, that the government has been unable to get a handle on the power sector’s many problems, despite bold promises prior to the election. And the miscommunication with the military in the months leading to the NW operation also makes sense. The Sharifs have also drawn considerable criticism for dragging their personal family into politics, and showering them with positions of power even though they lack political credentials and experience. True, such practices have long plagued Pakistani politics, but times are now changing.
That is exactly what the prime minister must bear in mind. Even though the government survived the PTI/PAT agitation, it has been considerably weakened. The public, too, has grown tired of hollow election promises. And for all their faults, the dharnas have given a sense of political awakening to the people. Therefore, the government’s actions will be scrutinised far more closely than before. Nawaz Sharif cannot afford the cabinet shuffle to turn out another hollow exercise. Already his government has been low on delivering and people are not happy. Now that even the opposition has made it clear that failing a thorough overhaul its support will be withdrawn, shuffle time is a serious time for the government.