ON the heels of publication of reports on sugar and wheat crises implicating some influential personalities, Prime Min ister Imran Khan, on Monday, went for another major Cabinet reshuffle that seems to be motivated by his desire to ensure efficiency and productivity in the governmental business besides linkage of the changes with the sugar and wheat scandal. The PM had tweeted that he would wait for a detailed forensic report on the matter before taking action against anyone, vowing that no powerful lobby would be able to gain undue profit and create an artificial shortage of essential items in the future. As pointed out by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, it is prerogative of the PM to make changes in the Cabinet but her remarks also suggest that the changes have something to do with the reports. In a tweet, she said whosoever will come in the way of masses rights, will not be tolerated, adding that there was no such example of self-accountability in the history of Pakistan. Otherwise too, several ministers, advisors and bureaucrats linked to the issue have been given other portfolios, prompting remarks from some circles that it was a face saving. Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, who is one of the names identified in the report as beneficiary of the sugar crisis has been replaced with a well-reputed figure Syed Fakhar Imam as Minister for National Food Security. Bakhtiar gets Economic Affairs while Hammad Azhar has been appointed as Minister for Industries, a portfolio that was previously held by Abdul Razzak Dawood. BabarAwan and Azam Swati have been accommodated again as Advisor on Parliamentary Affairs and Minister for Narcotics Affairs respectively, raising also question about relevance and status of Shehryar Afridi who is Minister of State for Narcotics Affairs. MQM-P has re-joined the Federal Cabinet with acceptance of resignation of Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and induction of Aminul Haq as Minister and the development would surely lessen woes of the Government. It is, however, to be seen how the Prime Minister reacts to the final report that might fix responsibility in a clear-cut manner. Irrespective of whether the findings lead to penal action and recovery of the undue profit earned by beneficiaries, the Prime Minister would be doing great service to the people and the country if he succeeds in evolving a fair and transparent mechanism of decisionmaking that protects rights of consumers who are repeatedly being fleeced because of influential nexuses.
