A lion is roaring in the open and trying to rule the hearts while another lion is ruling the hearts sans roaring. The one on the roaring spree is a lion by name (‘Sher’ in Urdu) and roars so well that one is convinced that ‘A man is known by the name he bears’. Of course, Abid Sher (lion) Ali is known by his name and he most often comes down heavy on the wildlife under his command but for the ultra-mischievousness of his linemen, managers and chief executives who are doing their utmost to make their own boss energy-deficient through talking and talking that is now spilling over to newer realms beyond his realm of Water & Power whom he heads as Minister of State. There is hardly any shade of life which is out of this lion’s grasp. Terrorism, energy deficiency, elections, PTI, MQM, Sindh government and what not, all fall in the purview of the energy (water and power) state minister who is doing full justice to his name and portfolio (portfolio in the sense that he has given new meaning to energy and that is: poke your nose into any affair so that you should look energetic and also feel energetic). One thing, however, impresses me very much and that is Water and Power’s plan to release lesser electricity to localities of power thieves. The idea is good but it can’t be implemented without the support of angels from the heavens. The reason is simple because the technical know-how of ‘angels’ of Discos/Lesco is so much superior and extra-terrestrial that even a man holding degree of Masters in Science can’t detect their evildoings that they do at odd hours when there is no checking by seniors. And all that paraphernalia of power theft vanishes the next morning. Apart from this time device, the sharp and experienced linemen do it with technical sophistication that can’t be easily apprehended. Intoxicated with my impassioned sense of patriotism with which I’ve been paying bills for the last two to three decades with extreme honesty and transparency, I also tried to find such evildoings and even pinpointed one such evil instance to Lesco’s CEO and others next in command along with the name of the fearless lineman but nothing doing. I was given a shut up call on the same technical grounds that made me repent and advise myself not to enter into a debate with a shrewd technical expert from either of these Discos. The other silently working lion I’m told by many relieved people, is Haji Nawaz Malik, In-charge of Law and Order cell of the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office. He roars through his actions and doesn’t spare even the tyrant cops when it comes to delivering justice to the aggrieved persons from the lower classes. What I’m saying is an eye-witness account. Perhaps his comeback to the CM Office is yet another example of merit-based governance. Obviously, the commitment to justice and the determination to ensure merit would have convinced the chief minister to hand over this sensitive assignment to an officer who had worked for several years on the same post under the command of former Punjab Chief Minister, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi. Is this the beginning of a new phase of unbiased governance that is free from the elements of personality clash and from the theme ‘I’m good, you’re bad’. Abid Sher Ali ought to adapt himself to this vendetta-free governance that Mian Shahbaz Sharif is trying to introduce guided by his cool and calm brother, Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, though some insiders say this ‘cool and calm’ thing is somewhat inversely proportional to hot and fiery CM, Punjab. mianrehman1@gmail.com
