Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will chair a special meeting of the cabinet at the Punjab Governor’s House today (Friday) with the recent Indian brutalities in Occupied Kashmir on top of the agenda of 113 items awaiting the prime minister’s approval.
Since this is the first sitting of the federal cabinet after the heart surgery of the prime minister, this will be a stock taking meeting as many emerging issues need attention of the prime minister.
The previous cabinet meeting was also held after the lapse of seven months which reflected lack of interest by the prime minister in his official cabinet.
According to political observers, it will also be a test for the prime minister, who appears to have been soft peddling his policy vis-à-vis Indian-held Kashmir. During the prime minister’s recent tenure, Kashmir has been a forgotten chapter on the foreign policy agenda of the country as the prime minister has adopted a very friendly posture towards his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, they said.
Most observers believe that this policy had also created a wedge between the prime minister and the military establishment which wanted a strong but meaningful handling of policy towards India.
Other than Kashmir, there are many other significant issues requiring the prime minister’s attention.
The government’s handling of Panamagate and the federal government’s strategy for engagement with the opposition parties for Terms of Reference (TORs) for the Panama probe commission will also be discussed, informed sources told Pakistan Today.
In the wake of the announcement of street agitation by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, the cabinet will have a detailed discussion to evolve a strategy to deal with the threats to the government.
Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar will brief the meeting on his interaction with Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah for the appointment of four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The government’s nominees for the ECP members may also come under discussion.
The cold war between the federal ministers during the absence of the prime minister and the federal government’s handling of the rebel group within the ruling party are also likely to come up for discussion.
The recent tiff in the Pak-US relations may also be on the table. If so, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz may be put on the mat for his controversial statement made before a parliamentary body in which he said that the Indian lobby had used its heavy influence on the US Congress to subvert Pakistan’s deal with the US regarding the F-16 fighter jets.
The question Aziz may have to answer is why Pakistan failed to activate its own lobby in Washington. Moreover, the cold shoulder by US State Department towards Pakistan may also be discussed. It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan was also not invited to the recently held NATO Conference.
Moreover, the mysterious appearance of banners across the country urging Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif to intervene will also be discussed. The government’s relationship with the military establishment may be discussed in the meeting too.
The extensive electricity load shedding even during the holy month of Ramzan and the public protests are likely to be discussed. Water and Power Minister Khwaja Asif and State Minister Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali will brief the cabinet on the electricity shortfall in the country. The prime minister may issue special instructions about the matter as any future unrest over load shedding may provide the opposition an opportunity to cash on the public anger.