The Sharifs have a history of appointing uninspiring, inert individuals to some of the highest offices of the land. Compare the stylish and suave Salman Taseer with the current Governor of the Punjab, whose name you forget right now but is on the tip of your google search.
Ditto for Presidents, with the likes of Rafiq Tarar and Mamnoon Hussein making the cut. This has long been attributed to the Sharifs’ insecurity about having their thunder stolen. So it was assumed that the ad hoc prime minister, who will hold down the position till Shehbaz Sharif is elected to the National Assembly, wouldn’t be a charismatic heavy hitter. But not junior enough for the appointment to be offensive to the rest of the party upper circle. The quiet and shy Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was the choice.
His stint as PM was initially thought to be till the NA-120 bypolls, but was later extended till the next polls. During this time, he has been an endearing presence. First of all, he spoke well at the World Economic Forum, where he even managed to get in a joke on his laid back sartorial sense: he was taught ties are only for weddings and funerals where he went to college in California, he quipped.
Middle-class Pakistanis, a little too preoccupied with leaders’ “presentability” in the west, took to him. The qualified electrical engineer, who’d had professional experience, held two cabinet portfolios and headed PIA, seemed to tick many boxes. And also some controversy related to the Qatar LNG deal when he was minister.
But what really endeared the man (who is one of the richest parliamentarians in the country) to many were his simple tastes. Yes, we forget that almost all of the perpetually vilified political class has the common touch, regardless of how rich they are. But Abbasi followed Sharif, one of the few politicians who really doesn’t hold back on his plush lifestyle. Recently, pictures contrasting Sharif’s hilariously opulent birthday cake and Abbasi’s diminutive celebration of the same went viral.
Though he might not be quite the newsmaker next year, Abbasi has carried himself with grace and aplomb this year.