AS the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has made it clear that the general election was not possible within the constitutionally stipulated 90 days due to the requirement of fresh delimitation of constituencies before polls, Interim Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar picked up a team of capable personalities to take care of different aspects of governance for a comparatively longer period. President Dr. Arif Alvi administered oath of office to a 16-member caretaker cabinet on Thursday besides appointment of three Advisors and five Special Assistants to the Prime Minister. The carefully inducted cabinet members include politicians, retired bureaucrats and servicemen, anchors and television artistes.
Going by the criteria for selection of his cabinet colleagues, the Prime Minister has transmitted a firm message that his government would mean business and deliver as per requirements of the challenging times. The selection shows preference has been given to experience, expertise and integrity as those inducted in the cabinet enjoy good reputation and there is no reason they should not produce the desired results. Portfolios of different ministries have been assigned to prominent people of the field, who have an impeccable record of hard work and commitment to their profession. All provinces are well represented in the cabinet but women have less representation in the first phase of the cabinet. However, they are effectively represented by Dr Shamshad Akhtar, who gets the powerful portfolio of Finance and Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Privatization. Dr Shamshad is a former Governor of the central bank and performed well when she got a similar position in the interim set-up in 2018. It is acknowledged that she not only produced desired results during the interim period but also delineated a promising roadmap for the next government but unfortunately it was not adhered to by the PTI Government. Appointment of Dr. Shamshad and selection of Dr Waqar Masood to assist her is reflection of the determination to pursue the economic policies initiated by the Shehbaz-led coalition government and this has been amply highlighted by the remarks made by the new Minister to stick to the accord concluded with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which assumes critical significance in the prevailing economic and financial state of affairs of the country. Former Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani is another example of merit-based selection of the cabinet as the new Foreign Minister has an enviable performance during his entire career as a diplomat. He has 38 years of bilateral and multilateral experience to his credit and remained closely involved in the process of forging ties with important countries and multilateral institutions including finalization of the much-talked-about China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). An eminent media personality – Murtaza Solangi – has aptly been given the responsibility of the sensitive and delicate Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Mr. Solangi, who has varied and rich knowledge of the field and his close interaction and personal rapport with the media industry, would hopefully ensure smooth relationship between the interim government and the media. He also has the capability to contribute towards the cherished objective of building a soft image of the country as he knows the intricacies of public relations. Mr. Murtaza Solangi’s tenure as Director-General, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation was a shining example of his vision and passion for excellence as he carved out a place of distinction for the state-owned Radio Pakistan because of his professional policies and investment in modernization of its operations. Radio Pakistan is again facing a serious crisis due to lack of resources and hopefully the Minister would, once again, take keen interest to revive the past glory of the state broadcaster. Induction of eminent textile industrialist and Chief Executive of Ejaz Group of Companies Dr Gohar Ejaz asMinister for Commerce, Textile, Industries and Production augurs well for resolution of the problems faced by the industrial sector as he has intimate knowledge of the industry, its challenges and prospects. It would be unfair not to eulogize the services rendered so meticulously by Dr. Umar Saif to revolutionize the IT sector during his captaincy of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB). The IT sector has been identified as one of the promising engines of economic growth and one can surely expect monumental changes for the better during the tenure of Dr. Saif as Minister for Information Technology, Telecom and Science & Technology. Induction of Mishal Malik, wife of Yasin Malik, a detained Kashmiri leader of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Human Rights and Women Empowerment is not only a right choice for the right job as she has the demonstrated capability to champion these causes but would also serve as message of solidarity with the struggling people of Jammu and Kashmir. Choices for other ministries are also quite appropriate as truly committed personalities have been assigned the jobs they can superbly handle.
