Nawaz isn’t playing chess, he’s playing checkers
“Z A Bhutto, in his seven years regime, visited Larkana eleven times on government expense. All other private visits were from his pocket. Why, then does the PM feel it necessary to visit Lahore every week on government expense?”
“A real leader uses every issue, no matter how serious and sensitive; to ensure that at the end of the debate we should emerge stronger and more united than ever before.” (Nelson Mandela)
The Prime Minister and his team members have taken the Panama Leaks problem in a non serious manner, sometimes rather jokingly.
And now another quandary, the “Dawn Leaks” spectre, has once again caught the momentum. Nawaz Shareef and family have tried to chuck it out by terminating Fatmi’s services and transferring PIO Tahseen to the establishment division. Both the gentlemen have denied the involvement. ISPR also reports the displeasure for diverting the investigation to save someone special.
During his regime as Chief Minister, Punjab, from 1985 to 1988, he snatched the powers of Chancellor from the then Governor, especially the power of Governor having five seats in all the professional institutions. What was his objective and why did he wanted to have a dummy Governor in the province?
He doesn’t believe in following the merit system for appointment, instead he tries to place favoured persons at all important seats, ignoring whether or not they are capable for the position or not. And this act badly damages the organisation. This is what he did while appointing Gen Parvez Musharraf and then Gen Butt.
During his first term as the Prime Minister, he developed certain differences with a seasoned President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who, by using his constitutional right, dismissed his government. What were the differences which forced a seasoned President to act in this harsh way? He found him incompetent, with an arrogant and dictatorial attitude.
During his second term, once again he developed differences with the then President Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari, another seasoned personality, who resigned to save the system of this so called democracy.
During his second term as the Prime Minister, PM Nawaz Sharif raised certain objections against Gen Jehangir Karamat and also against the Naval Chief, resulting in both of them opting for early retirements. His acts against the Forces were not justified – were they just to keep himself in the Prime Minister’s seat?
During his second regime as Prime Minister, he appointed a parallel Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Supreme Court was attacked by his workers in the day light to enforce his orders.
During his second term as the Prime Minister, Army personnel were inducted in WAPDA, replacing Chief Engineers with Brigadiers and even at the junior most position of meter reader, subedars were posted. Why did he opt for this new technique which ultimately destroyed one of the best organisations of the country, because mostly the senior WAPDA officers choose for retirement? He never realised that WAPDA had spent a huge amount on their training and they were running the system meticulously despite many difficulties?
During his second term, he also removed Mr Shamas-ul-Mulk, the then Chairman WAPDA and appointed Gen Zulfiqar as the new Chairman. Mr. Shamas is worldwide renowned as Hydro power expert, his removal and appointment of a completely non-professional person at a highly technical and sensitive position had no explanation.
Electricity crisis has gone to its worst position in our country, for the last two decades nation is facing its shortage, while he remained in the office for three times, what steps have so far been taken towards construction of new dams and why consensus on Kalabagh Dam have not been initiated so far?
Why, during his second term, was he so aggressive and violent towards almost all authority figures including the head of the army? Why does he always try to appoint only those persons with whom he has some affiliation?
While going through his historical roaster, numbers of important questions are raised and require clarification from the Prime Minister Nawaz Shareef.
Z A Bhutto, in his seven years regime, visited Larkana eleven times on government expense. All other private visits were from his pocket. Why, then does the PM feel it necessary to visit Lahore every week on government expense?
Can he explain why he doesn’t induct more capable people from his party? Why must he always rely on the old faces – those who have done nothing so far, especially the Ministry of Finance?
Does the PM think that his administration policy is successful with all the provinces, who are always complaining about the federal? His deeds and acts of government have raised a situation as if provinces are “states within a state”, which is never in the favour of a strong federation. Can he explain what his motives are towards such a dreadful administration?
Does the PM think that he is running the office of the Foreign Ministry more effectively without a regular foreign minister? If it is so, why have our relations with majority of the nations remained constrained with exception of Turkey and China?
Does the PM think that his education policy is perfect and can meet the international requirement and standards? If, not, what measures has he taken to improve it?
Don’t you think that your policy regarding WAPDA in 1997 has ruined WAPDA and disintegration of WAPDA has caused huge losses both in administration and monetarily?
Don’t you think that your policy of “Golden Hand Shake” has badly smashed the national exchequer, national assets, government employees system,
How does the PM think people who work for his office should communicate when asked questions about the working of his government and also about the allegations of embezzlement of funds by his office and his family? Because, when ever asked they start talking against the opposition leaders specially Imran Khan, instead of answering the main question.
His previous policies failed (closure of Cooperative Finance Corporations, bankrupted number of poor people specially pensioners). Instead of closing the corporations, shouldn’t those have been merged and handed over to the State Bank and allowed to work as the regular banks under the supervision of senior bankers and the State Bank? It would have saved the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people and moreover saved the investment of the poor account holders.
The“Golden Hand Shake” scheme also badly affects the country. Actually, economists point out that such schemes are for highly developed countries and not for Pakistan.
While going through the mentioned points, the public has a feeling that a “crisis” under Nawaz Shareef, is a real crisis, not the seemingly endless series of self-inflicted wounds that has scarred, poses a far scarier situation than the usual. Nawaz’s errors have implications and ripple effects for when the real problems inevitably arrive.
That danger has never been clearer than with the irresponsible accusations of Dawn leaks by the PM’s quarters. Nawaz isn’t playing chess, he’s playing checkers, with an elementary school scholar’s urge to upend the board when the game isn’t going his way.
Second, the skill set of steady Premiership must be augmented by a functioning team of capable ministers, experts, deputies and advisers. If anything, Nawaz has thrown additional sand in the gears of the existing institutional machinery. His continuing feud with the forces institution erodes the rapport and trust essential for operating effectively during a crisis.
Third, Nawaz’s predilection to assert and cling to untruths in the face of contrary evidence raises questions about his capacity to absorb and act on unwelcome information. More disturbing, Nawaz’s tenuous connection to the truth dangerously undermines his credibility with everyone from the public to the institutions.
“A good leader, takes a little more than his share of the blame,
and a little less than his share of the credit”
(Arnold H. Glasow)
The most alarming part of all; trust once squandered is not easily, if ever, regained. And without it any head of the state will remain severely hobbled. The implications are quite extraordinary. In a crisis, how much credibility will Nawaz have left to persuade the country of what has happened, what needs to be done and how to amend? All these actions have real repercussions.
