The beginnings of a year-long accountability
Nawaz Sharif’s style of governance was bound to land him in a cul-de-sac. For the last four years he has run the country like a family enterprise with the help of a handful of relatives. He cared little for the cabinet till reminded by the apex court that his decisions had no legal value unless taken in the cabinet meeting. He disregarded the National assembly and the Senate by mostly remaining absent from their sittings even after the traumatic events of August 2014 when Parliament came to his rescue and saved his government. Lack of transparency was another prominent feature of his style of governance. While the two officials against whom action was taken in Dawn leaks case denied any responsibility the army too rejected the notification. The delay in the fresh notification which is to be issued by the Interior Ministry indicates attempts are still afoot to manage a cover up.
Secrecy surrounds the Sharif family’s business transactions too. The Supreme Court had to appoint a high powered Joint Investigation Team (JIT) because it was not satisfied with the money trail presented before the court. Now that the JIT has started functioning the government leaders are expressing fears that the team might get pressurised by the opposition’s speeches and statements. The fear is baseless as the JIT is being supervised by three judges of the apex court who did not disqualify Nawaz Sharif.
If there is a six hour long load shedding in Lahore and other major cities of Punjab it is a reflection on the efficacy of the Ministry of Water and Power. The government failed to provide Pakistan Meteorological Department modern radars worth Rs 14 billion despite repeated requests because the spending was not on the list of government’s priorities. It was therefore frivolous to blame the department for failing to forecast the high temperatures in late April and early May, as Younas Dagha has done. High Temperatures are by no means unusual in summer in Punjab. The government is reportedly going for mobile and rental power plants now for which it had lambasted the previous government throughout its tenure. Marriyum Aurangzeb’s advice to the media indicates the government looks at the electronic and print media as another source of threat.
With elections taking pace in about a year, the opposition is already on the warpath. Imran Khan continues on the offensive against the government in Punjab. The PPP too has jumped into the fray as a minor force. PAT chief Tahir-ul-Qadri too is likely to follow suit. The government has to prepare itself for a lengthy war of nerves.