- In-fighting and nepotism plague the government
The former Information Minister, Fawad Chaudhry, found himself in a face-off with the woman who replaced him, PM’s advisor on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan. What added spice to the confrontation was the fact that Mr Chaudhry was an MNA, and Dr Awan not. Mr Chaudhry blamed the ‘cold war’ with the party between elected and unelected advisers for political weakness. Mr Chaudhry is in the Cabinet. He should realise that his criticism does not allow him to remain there. On the other hand, Dr Awan could produce no better defence than to say that Prime Minister Imran Khan was fully in command. That may have been music to the ears of party cadres, but it did show Mr Khan as a dictatorial figure, and did not seem to allow for the sort of intra-party debate that Mr Chaudhry seems to miss. The PTI, like all other parties to achieve power, have to resolve the issue that the voter wants one decisive figure, but the party itself wants debate.
At the same time, the government has become involved in the sort of nepotism it said it would end, through Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul’s PSO’s letter to an Interior Ministry official about the deputation of her sister, Shabnam Gul, a LCWU professor, to a directorship in the National Counter-Terrorism Authority. The debate on her merits ducks the question: Even if she was fully qualified, should a PTI minister be exerting her influence? Ms Zartaj Gul finds herself at the heart of both debates, as her Minister in-charge, is an un-elected PM’s Adviser.
The PTI faces a number of challenges, not least the economy, and the rising temperatures should make it wary of new problems. The opposition is belligerent because of NAB going after its leaders, and the PTI will find itself unable to meet these challenges if there is indeed the rift within the party that Mr Chaudhry pointed to. The PTI must not forget that every day it spends in office, brings it one day closer to the next general election, and not only must it be united as a party if it is to face the electorate, but such faux pas as Ms Gul’s must be avoided if the PTI wishes to claim it is different.