Federal Finance Secretary Waqar Masud is set to replace the outgoing governor of the State Bank of Pakistan.
Masud has been a bit of a fixture as the top finance man, having seen several governments. He has been on and off at the job for quite a while now. A man for all seasons, he is known to have a rather flowery eloquence in Urdu, peppering his conversation with a verse or two. He is also known as the sort of bureaucrat who takes orders. Now, there’s nothing all too wrong with that; unelected bureaucrats are supposed to best execute the instructions of the elected representatives of the people, as long as they are legal.
The role of the top watchdog of the country’s money markets, however, requires a measure of independence. One wonders whether he is up to that task. He might have a couplet to describe this specific apprehension.
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When he was asked why the bestselling Model-T car was available only in black, Henry Ford replied that he was okay with any colour, as long as it was black.
Well, it’s any decision as long as it’s the one that they want when it comes to the PTI. That had been their stance regarding Iftikhar Chaudhry, their stance regarding CJP Nasir-ul-Mulq, their stance regarding former CJP Jamali, who saw adulation and scorn in a very, very short window. And now, it is CJP Saqib Nisar who is bearing the brunt of the PTI’s fickle affections. So soon after Imran Khan had expressed his full confidence in the process that would resume on his watch.
