ISLAMABAD – As President Asif Ali Zardari called a meeting of the party’s central executive committee (CEC) today (Friday), it triggered speculations in the federal capital that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani would dissolve his cabinet within 24 hours and form a small team of 15 to 20 ministers.
However, no one confirmed the report. “Broadly speaking, the political situation with emphasis on latest events of significance will be the agenda of the CEC meeting. You may draw your own conclusion,” President’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said. However he did not give a definite answer when asked if the issue of the cabinet’s dissolution would be discussed in the CEC meeting.
The decision to dissolve the cabinet had been taken in principle by the president, who is also the co-chairman of the PPP, and he had hinted at this while chairing a CEC meeting in December and then again in January. It had also been suggested that the PM had sought resignations from all his ministers to form a new cabinet but a federal minister, when contacted to confirm, said he had not submitted his resignation, neither was he asked to do so.
“But it is the prerogative of the PM to dissolve or reshuffle his cabinet,” he said. After Law Minister Babar Awan had disclosed the government’s intention to right-size the cabinet, it created unrest among the ministers. The president came under pressure and he was advised not to go ahead with this plan at a time when the government was already faced with numerous political and economic challenges.
However, Gilani wanted to right-size his cabinet to cut the expenditures and also to meet the requirement of reducing the cabinet size under the 18th Amendment, albeit it is not mandatory for the government to implement this constitutional provision it would be applicable and a binding after the next election in the country.
A source told Pakistan Today that the party leadership had invited Nabil Gabol with whom the president was annoyed for his irresponsible statements against the ANP and the MQM.
