IN yet another shuffle in the federal cabinet on Friday, Finance Minister Hammad Azhar has been shifted to the Energy Ministry and replaced by a prominent economist and financial expert Shaukat Fayyaz Ahmed Tarin who was also given the additional portfolio of revenue.
Meanwhile, former Energy Minister Omar Ayub has been made the Minister for Economic Affairs.
Former Information Minister Shibli Faraz, who was replaced by Fawad Chaudhry a day earlier, has been made the Minister for Science and Technology — the office previously headed by Chaudhry.
This is the sixth time the PTI Government has reshuffled its cabinet team with the apparent objective of ensuring prompt and effective delivery.
The Prime Minister’s Office has evolved a mechanism to monitor and assess performance of different ministries and it is believed that the latest changes have been made as a result of the latest assessment and the need to deliver as per expectations of the masses during the third year of the incumbent Government.
With the exception of Shaukat Tarin, who has been freshly inducted into the cabinet, other changes are mere swap of portfolios or transfer from one ministry to the other, which shows the Prime Minister has full confidence in his team but only wanted to place the right man at the right job to get desired results.
Shaukat Tarin is a heavy-weight and a known figure in the realm of finance and economy and hopefully he would not only help realize the agenda of the Prime Minister but also come out with a comprehensive plan of action to provide relief to the masses, who are hard pressed due to policies and programmes of the incumbent Government aimed at stabilization of the economy.
There are already indications that Tarin would start delivering as reports suggest the Government was planning to renegotiate with the IMF the requirement of hefty increase in power tariff, which neither the economy nor the masses can afford.
Tarin has an economic vision and ability to harmonize his plans as per dictates of the economic conditions of the country.
Hammad Azhar also has a daunting task in the Energy Ministry as the energy sector is plagued with numerous ills that require a clear vision and the will to treat them effectively.
Fawad Chaudhry made a mark in the Ministry of Science and Technology where he was instrumental in launching a number of initiatives of far reaching importance and we hope he would do so in the Ministry of Information as well during his second stint.
