THE PML-N on Sunday announced that an amendment was being introduced to empower the interim set-up to have powers similar to that of an elected government. Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar said in an interview that these powers would allow the caretakers to take important decisions. He confirmed when questioned whether Section 230 of the Elections Act — which relates to the functions of a caretaker government — was about to be amended, adding that the nation’s time should not be wasted by having the caretaker government be bogged down solely in “day-to-day” tasks.
The move also reflects the thinking of the decision-making circles not to allow disruption or discontinuity of the process of economic reforms during the interim set-up as the country suffered hugely due to self-centred policies in the past. Under the existing laws and rules, the caretaker government is not supposed to take important policy decisions and has to restrict itself to day-to-day affairs. However, the proposed reforms are aimed at enhancing powers of the caretakers allowing them to transact important business of national importance besides strengthening the powers and role of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold free, fair and transparent elections in the country. The move, seen in the backdrop of consistent media reports that the PML(N) wants Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to head the interim set-up, assumes significance as it would be a departure from the traditional practice of having neutral caretakers with limited powers for sixty or ninety days of the rule. Ishaq Dar neither denied nor confirmed these reports and instead replied in a diplomatic manner but his remarks ‘one should not aspire for an office and anyone could be chosen to assume the PM office’ lend credibility to such reports. An indication to this was the remarks made by Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, who said in a television programme that Ishaq Dar could be the caretaker Prime Minister if all parties agreed. PPP and PML(N) have already shown their preference to have a politician as the caretaker Prime Minister, perhaps to ensure that elections are not delayed but it has to be seen whether or not they agree on a name. It is believed that the PML(N) has finalized the name of Mr. Dar and now it is approaching other parties for a consensus on the nomination. It is also said that the PML(N) supremo Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was in Dubai for consultations with coalition partners on the issue. Much depends on the nature of the amendments that the Government intends to move to empower the caretaker set-up. While empowering the interim government to take important policy decisions on economic matters might be an acceptable proposition for almost all political parties, any move to grant powers to the caretakers to influence the outcome of the electoral exercise would undermine the credibility of the entire process. No doubt, Ishaq Dar belongs to PML(N) but he is a technocrat in the strictest sense of the word and he has proved his mettle by handling the national economy deftly ever since his return to Pakistan from abroad. His policies succeeded in averting a default and restoration of the much-talked-about IMF assistance for the country. There is a growing realization among politicians, institutions and other stakeholders that the country needs economic stability which, in turn, is dependent on political stability. The incumbent Government has made some commitments with the IMF which will have to be honoured not only by the interim set-up but also by the government to be formed after the general election. There is also a thinking that the interim government may be in a better position to implement some of the committed policy actions that the present government might not feel appropriate to do because of political costs as it has already sacrificed much of its political capital due to bitter decisions that complicated the price-hike issue. This also explains the logic behind the move to empower the interim government to take important decisions. Completion of the difficult task by the interim administration would make the job of the next elected government somewhat easier.
