In Brief
PAKISTAN ELECTIONS 2024
PR EXCLUSIVE UPDATE #83
19 member federal cabinet unveiled, Shehbaz Sharif chairs first meeting
On 11 March, newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath of office to 19 federal cabinet ministers. Four times Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was made foreign minister while a former banker, Muhammad Aurangzeb, was appointed Finance Minister. Attaullah Tarar was named the new Information Minster. Minister of State Shaza Fatima Khwaja, who is the only woman in the cabinet is yet to be allotted a portfolio. The oath taking ceremony was followed by the first meeting of the federal cabinet presided by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. In the meeting, the members resolved “that the government would work to provide relief to the common man.” The prime minster delineated the following tasks at hand- inflation, electricity theft, elite subsidy, full recovery of taxes, privatisation, curbing PKR 5,000 billion circular debt of electricity and gas sectors and addressing the climate change issues. Other members of the cabinet include- PML-N’s Khawaja Asif (defence, defence production and aviation), Ahsan Iqbal (planning, development and special initiatives), Azam Nazeer Tarar (law, justice and human rights), Musadik Malik (petroleum and power), Riaz Hussain Pirzada (housing and works) and Rana Tanveer Hussain (industries and production). Two members who were part of the caretaker government- former Punjab CM Mohsin Naqvi (interior and narcotics control) and former minister Ahad Cheema (economic affairs and establishment division) have been retained. (Syed Irfan Raza, “New blood joins old guard in federal cabinet,” Dawn, 12 March 2024; “New-look cabinet with old faces,” The Express Tribune, 11 March 2024)
PTI decides to form “shadow-cabinet” in Punjab to scrutinize government performance
On 12 March, Dawn reported that the PTI has decided to form a “shadow cabinet” in the province of Punjab to keep a check on the functioning and performance of the incumbent government with regard to “each administrative department.” Senior party leader Mian Aslam Iqbal, in a statement on X, revealed that this scrutiny was in response to the “stolen-mandate government” in Punjab. He also stated that the recently formed government was inclined towards unleashing “political victimisation” instead of “public welfare.” Referring to the brutal crackdown unleashed by the Punjab police against demonstrators protesting alleged rigged elections, he stated that “The PTI will fight against fascism at every front.” Referring to the arrests made in the aftermath of the protests, PTI leader Hammad Azhar stated that “All arrested workers have been discharged from fake FIRs except one MPA Hafiz Farhat Abbas. (Mansoor Malik, “PTI plans shadow cabinet to monitor Punjab govt,” Dawn, 12 March 2024
An editorial in Dawn advises the new government to keep the federal cabinet “lean”
On 12 March, an editorial in Dawn titled “PDM redux” described the new federal cabinet chosen by Shehbaz Sharif as a mix of “familiar faces” and an accommodation of “allies and benefactors” in place of those more deserving. The editorial argues that the only “big change” is the induction of Muhammad Aurangzeb as finance minister. The editorial describes the cabinet as a “men’s club” as only one female minister, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, was inducted into the cabinet and that too without being assigned a portfolio. This development is also in sharp contrast to the party’s PR campaign for women empowerment following the election of Maryam Nawaz as Punjab’s first women chief minister. The only positive aspect of the cabinet, according to the editorial, is that “the cabinet is not as bloated this time as it was during the PDM government.” In fact, the editorial advises the government to keep the cabinet “lean,” with its focus geared towards managing the country’s myriad crises. The editorial stresses the fact that Shehbaz Sharif has intentionally or unintentionally “thrown his old guard a huge challenge” by inducting new faces. (Editorial, “PDM redux,” Dawn, 12 March 2024)
POLITICS
52 members of the Senate retire on the same day, leaving the senate “dysfunctional”
On 11 March, 52 members of the Senate, which is the upper house of the parliament, retired after completing their term of six years. This means that a little over half the total number of the lawmaker’s positions have become vacant. Each member is elected for a period of six years and half of them retire every three years. Normally, elections are held before the retirement of members to fill the vacancy. However, due to a delay in the general elections held this year and the consequent absence of an electoral college, the elections could not be held to fill these seats. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has set the polling day as 2 April in order to fill the 48 vacancies. It is to be noted that elections will not be conducted for four seats as they used to be reserved for the former tribal areas which merged with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the 25th Amendment. Out of the 48 seats up for grabs- seven are general seats, two women’s, two technocrat / ulema and two seats reserved for non-Muslims are for each province. Separately, elections will be held on two seats for the Islamabad Capital Territory- one general seat and one technocrat/ulema category. According to the ECP, the schedule for the elections will be announced on 14 March. (Iftikhar A. Khan, “Senate becomes dysfunctional as over half its members retire,” Dawn, 12 march 2024)
ECONOMY
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb sets economic agenda
On 11 March, Muhammad Aurangzeb, the former chief of Habib Bank Limited (HBL), took oath as the news Finance Minister. He is the third banker to be appointed to this position in Pakistan’s history. He flagged reform implementation and the prompt securing of an IMF loan as his primary agenda “to pull the economy out of crisis.” He commended the caretaker government’s policies for improving “economic indicators.” Some of the other agendas that he highlighted were: the requirement of “a clear and decisive plan for privatisation” and the minimization of government expenditures and a boost to revenue collection. He lauded the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and expressed confidence in its complementary role on the path to economic recovery. He also predicted a stable exchange rate owing to improvement in the economic indicators. (Mubarak Zeb Khan, “Finance czar commits to continuing caretakers’ policies,” Dawn, 12 march 2024)
PROVINCES
Punjab: “Widespread demonstrations across Punjab reflect deep-seated discontent,” argues an editorial in Dawn
On 12 March, an editorial in Dawn titled “Crushing protests” lamented the brutality and mistreatment of PTI protestors at the hands of the Punjab police. PTI leader Omar Ayub described the crackdown as involving “beating and detention of 100 protesters.” The editorial opined that despite a new government in Punjab with a new chief minister, the tactics deployed to deal with the opposition remains the same- “the provincial police’s heavy-handed dispersal of the party’s demonstrators.” The editorial argues that this strategy seems to be a part of a bigger strategy aimed at “crushing” the PTI. The editorial stresses that it is important to note that protests are a reflection of “underlying grievances that require attention, not suppression.” The protests reflect a need for “prompt dialogue and reform” instead of “punishment.” It further argues that “the ability to express dissent and engage in peaceful assembly” is the essence of democracy and should be preserved. Referring to the “delicate” nature of Pakistan’s “socio-political fabric,” the editorial argues that any “heavy-handed measures against its citizens” will only exacerbate the issue. (Editorial, “Crushing protests,” Dawn, 12 March 2024)
Balochistan: For any sincere reconciliation in Balochistan, the state must accept its mistakes, says an editorial in Dawn
On 12 March, an editorial in Dawn, titled “Amnesty plan” analyzes the “general amnesty” offered by the Chief Minister of Balochistan, Sarfarz Bugti to the insurgents in exchange for them giving up arms and joining the “mainstream political process.” This is in order to deal with the longstanding problem of insurgency in the province. The editorial welcomes the decision geared towards dialogue but stresses the need for “the root causes of the violence in Balochistan” to be addressed. Citing examples of such government overtures from history and their failure in dealing with the issue, the editorial argues that this is because the state has given preference “to cosmetic efforts over substantive steps to address the poverty and deprivation that afflict Balochistan.” While stating that “separatism” cannot be defended and that insurgents have maliciously targeted security personnel and civilians, the editorial argues that the state has failed to uplift the people of Balochistan. The issue of forced disappearances has further alienated the people of the province any reconciliation is only possible if the state accepts its mistakes and creates “an atmosphere of goodwill.” (Editorial, “Amnesty plan,” 12 March, 2024)
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Best wishes to Tarar Attaullah for his new role as Information Minister. We need young, hard working, humble and articulate people like him in positions of leadership. Let’s all work together to strengthen Pakistan’s communication muscle at home and abroad!
-Hamza Azhar Salam
The people of Baluchistan express their sincere gratitude to Saudi Arabia for providing a relief package to the victims of the torrential rains in Gwadar. Who has been with Pakistan in every hour of difficulty.
-Ghulam Nabi Rind
Release the former prime minister of Pakistan. Imran Khan is being punished for the"absolutely not"..
-Syed Sheharyar Dilshad
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Arifa Noor, 'Caretaker by any other name'
Dawn, 12 March 2024
"But all this news about the comings and goings of familiar and known Noonie faces did not pique as much interest as the news about the ‘caretakers’ being retained. These temporary takers of the government chairs stuck around for far longer than they should have and were far too fond of publicity and the sound of their voices than neutral beings should be. And, just as we thought we were rid of them, they are back."
Editorial, 'PDM redux'
Dawn, 12 March 2024
"It is difficult to understand why the PML-N would so casually disregard half the population when assigning important portfolios. The omission seemed particularly jarring given the PR campaign around women’s empowerment the party has been running ever since Maryam Nawaz got herself elected as the first woman chief minister of Punjab."
Mosharraf Zaidi, 'Who should be the finance minister?'
The News International, 12 March 2024
"Within government, the finance minister needs to have at least some degree of influence and standing in at least three functions that are outside his or her direct domain: the first is trade and commerce, the second is investments and the third is technology. These three pillars of economic policy sit completely outside the finance ministry, but they are not only in need of the finance ministry themselves, they are also crucial for the finance minister to do her or his job well. One easy example is the issue of customs, which is central to the way trade policy (and especially imports) is managed."
Raashid Wali Januja, 'The challenge of governance'
The News International, 12 March 2024
"The failure of the political leadership to resolve the contradiction between their selfish interests and the demands of the deserving segment of the population leads towards the misappropriation of funds through collusion with favourite contractors."
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