ISLAMABAD: Soon after taking office, Prime Minister Imran Khan had committed to have a small cabinet of ‘change leaders’ but like his predecessors he too eventually opted for a really bloated cabinet comprising 54 members.
Ironically, many of the ‘change leaders’ the prime minister inducted in his cabinet had already served in previous governments, including those of General Musharraf, Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif.
After winning the 2018 elections, the prime minister chose to have a 21-member cabinet with 16 federal ministers and five advisers. Most of them had previously held key posts in the regime of former dictator General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.
After almost three years, the Imran Khan cabinet today has grown to 54 members with 28 federal ministers, four ministers of state, four advisers to the prime minister and 18 special assistants to the prime minister. Among these cabinet members, the unelected now number 21.
The PTI had promised to have a cabinet that would ensure the implementation of what it termed its “agenda of change”. Soon after coming to power, the PTI government gave its 100-day plan and announced that Imran Khan would select a cabinet of change leaders.
The 100-day agenda document argued that Imran Khan had a track record of building teams that win, and he would bring that approach to selecting his team to run the country. “PTI’s cabinet will consist of people with leadership ability, with professional experience and the highest standards of integrity, to steer Pakistan through its journey of change, claimed the government in 2018.”
Although questions are being raised even from within the PTI about what it has achieved after three years in power, it is important to remember what was stated in the party’s 100-day agenda document soon after the party came to power: “Any agenda, no matter how good on paper, will only have an impact if implemented well. Implementing change in government is messy, hard work that requires resolve, capability as well as constant learning and adaptation.”
The document had added, “We believe we are ready to implement an agenda of change, better than anyone else in Pakistan, because we have the highest aspirations; we have a team, led by Imran Khan, including some of the best political and professional talent in the country; and we now have experience of government that we will build on.”
It was said that Imran Khan’s government would ensure the implementation of this agenda through the following actions:
“1. Imran Khan will select a cabinet of change leaders. Imran Khan has a track record of building teams that win, and he will bring that approach to how he will select his team to run the country. PTI’s cabinet will consist of people with leadership ability, with professional experience, and the highest standards of integrity, to steer Pakistan through its journey of change.
2. The prime minister will personally oversee reform and manage the performance of his team. In line with how great reform journeys have happened elsewhere, the reform process will be led by, and personally overseen, by Imran Khan himself. Key items on the reform agenda will be reviewed on a monthly or on a quarterly basis. Any challenges will be unblocked.
The progress, both of the agenda and of the performance of key ministers, would be based on a few key metrics, so that honest and fact-based discussions can be had on the pace of progress. We will ensure that change happens, not just because we will plan, but because the PTI team in government will be constantly working on implementing that plan.
3. There will be a Reform Unit driving change in the Prime Minister’s Office. To support the process of reform, in addition to the cabinet, Imran Khan will create a small team of reform leaders, champions and experts to help achieve his vision of transforming the country, as part of a high-performance reform unit in his office. This team will consist of the best professional talent that Pakistan has to offer, whether elected, from a government background, or a private background.
4. We will run Pakistan’s most transparent government. Government in Pakistan has often underachieved because what it is normally doing is not visible to the public. We will create Pakistan’s most transparent government, to give our citizens a clear view of what is working and what isn’t. Progress on key priorities will be made public every three months so that the people of Pakistan, the real stakeholders of change, are part of our journey of reform.”
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry when contacted told The News that the federal cabinet comprises only 28 members, not 54. He explained that as per the Constitution of Pakistan, the federal ministers only are the members of the cabinet whereas the ministers of state, advisers and special assistants are not the members of the cabinet. He added that the state ministers, advisers and special assistants join the cabinet meeting only on invitation.
When reminded of the PTI and Imran Khan’s past commitment of having a small cabinet, he said that in addition to what he has already explained above, the present cabinet costs the kitty very less. He said perhaps after Quaid-i-Azam, Imran Khan’s cabinet is the most cost effective in the history of Pakistan. The information minister said that unlike the past, the present cabinet members do not have unnecessary security and protocol. Chaudhry claimed that the Imran Khan cabinet reflects the spirit of what was promised before.
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