EDITORIAL: Although there is nothing unusual about this government's cabinet reshuffles, the latest one announced on Friday - its fourth shake-up in less than three years - comes as a bit of a surprise. Portfolios of three federal ministers have been changed with Minister for Interior retired Brig Ijaz Shah replacing the Narcotics Control Minister Azam Swati, and the latter Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, who takes over the interior ministry - a portfolio Prime Minister Imran Khan had kept with himself until April of last year. The same day, the PM's Adviser on Finance Abdul Hafeez Sheikh also took oath as Finance Minister for six months (until he can be elected as a senator) in compliance with the Islamabad High Court's ruling that unelected advisors and special assistants could not act or function as ministers.
All other changes started with the interior ministry. According to media reports, Ijaz Shah himself had asked to be relieved of that office for being unable to concentrate on his work due to health and family reasons. Nonetheless, he stays as a minister. Apparently, he felt he could not effectively deal with the pressures of ongoing opposition rallies, threats of a wheel-jam strike and a march on to Islamabad. The PM is said to have considered some names, including Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood and Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry, but that did not work out for one reason or another. Finally, he decided to assign the much coveted interior ministry to its longtime aspirant, the feisty Sheikh Rashid Ahmad. That seems to be a sensible choice. He may not be famous for sagaciousness but gets a lot of media attention for his candid remarks based on his intimate knowledge of the contradictions in overt and covert activities/statements of leaders of the opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). A career politician, unlike his predecessor, he is better equipped to speak the language that resonates with the public. Addressing a presser soon after assumption of his new office, Sheikh Rashid hinted that he would give a tough time to the opposition though he kept his tone soft, saying he would not stop the PDMA rally from coming to Islamabad, instead the opposition would be welcomed and the alliance chief, Maualna Fazlur Rehman, offered Kashmiri tea. But Prime Minister Imran Khan, he averred, "is not going anywhere, not in the least because of the Minar-e-Pakistan rally."
Not forgetting to tint his comments with a touch of sarcasm, he said the opposition leaders were instigating other people's children to take to the street in the chilly weather while their own children enjoyed life abroad. Though he did not mention it, the real worry for the government as also sane citizens is that the PDM's public meetings amidst a lethal surge in Covid-19 cases are super spreaders. As a matter of fact, when the coronavirus first hit this country earlier this year, leaders of the two major opposition parties, the PPP and PML-N, had demanded a complete lockdown rather than smart lockdowns preferred by the government. Even now in Sindh where the PPP rules, the provincial government has announced strict measures to control the spread of Covid-19. But putting their personal and political interests before public well-being they are insistent on holding mass public gatherings. They can give vent to their frustrations, but this amounts to an act of animosity towards people.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020