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WEEKLY
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| Change in Punjab? |
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Tuesday, April 28, 2009
There are growing indications that Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer may have reached the end of his run at the Governor's House. His exit, at one point or another, had seemed inevitable since the success of the lawyers' long march – despite all attempts to thwart it. Many had thought at the time that Taseer would do the honourable thing and quit. He has chosen not to do so, keeping up the tradition of clinging to power at all costs. It is, however, obvious that Taseer remains unacceptable as far as the Punjab chief minister is concerned. All those familiar with the administration style of Shahbaz Sharif can be in no doubt that he will want an unhindered run as provincial chief executive. Taseer has sensibly adopted a slightly lower profile since the restoration of Shahbaz, but beneath a calm surface the old hostilities persist. They are bound to surface again in one way or the other.
For these reasons the change in the Governor's House, if it comes about, could prove to be good news for the province. It is crucial at this point that it's administration function as smoothly and as cohesively as possible. The security situation is just one reason for this. Changes in the administrative mechanisms provided the backdrop for the attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers and the audacious siege a few weeks later of the police academy at Manawan. More such incidents must be avoided. The government must be able to function unimpeded and an end must be put to the ugly friction that has so far had a negative impact on the running of Punjab.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
