Cabinet 2024

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has his cabinet – at least its first 19 or so members. The lineup on offer doesn’t offer much of (or any) surprise as such, the prime minister going for tried and tested rather than new and inexperienced. That can be good or bad, depending on what we’re looking for. The good first: with experienced names comes some sense of stability. They will not try to learn how to do things, nor will they be trying to prove a point to their party so perhaps some kind of autonomy may work. The bad: the PML-N and other older parties seem to have become stuck to the same ol-same ol style of governance. That means little creative thinking and solutions perhaps not in line with today’s times.

It can safely be said that the most important of the portfolios is finance, especially given that the country came much too close to a default last year. Although specific portfolios have not been announced while this editorial was being written, the expectation is that former HBL CEO Muhammad Aurangzeb will be handed this top slot. Aurangzeb’s name had been doing the rounds for a while, with a not-so-silent majority in the econ-finance field saying that another round of Ishaq Dar as finance minister would be devastating for the economy. While the jury may be out on that, the fact is that at this moment perhaps a technocrat like Muhammad Aurangzeb may just be a better choice. Although technocratic governments are hardly ever a panacea for any trouble, handing over the finance ministry to someone not that concerned about their constituents may not be a bad idea. From the IMF austerity measures to increase in utilities to decrease subsidies, none of the prescriptions looming over the economy will go in any way to help the man or woman making these decisions. A politician may balk at handing over this much angst to his/her constituents but a technocrat won’t.

There could be a tie between foreign and energy in terms of importance. Domestically, Pakistan suffers from a relentless electricity circular debt situation. We don’t have gas enough for the country. Efforts to go electric can’t work unless the government fixes the issues of distribution losses etc. Electricity keeps getting hiked to an extent that even a ‘comfortable’ middle-class home now finds it tough to manage its budget with electricity that only keeps increasing. And it will likely increase even more. Which is what makes the coming energy minister more than important. As far as rumours go, it was said that if not finance then Dar may get the foreign ministry. It is difficult to figure this one out: Dar has experience enough but his last stint in the PDM government has left a very sour taste. Will he be able to forgo his personal in favour of a mature, dependable and calm foreign policy? The cabinet thus far sounds dependable enough on paper – apart from some glaring sins of commission and omission both. The first is the disturbing fact that there is no woman in the cabinet other than Shaza Fatima Khawaja. One wonders whether our parties even realize that we left the 60s and 70s far behind. And then the biggest shock of all: Mohsin Naqvi also being made part of the cabinet. Once again, one wonders at either the naivete or impunity at work here. The cabinet may see some inclusions as time goes by. For now, they have just a few months to prove their worth and value. Let the governance begin.