Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has emerged as the main voice of the government to appropriately project its measures/decisions focused on minimizing the impact of the coronavirus on all sections of society, particularly the vulnerable, to counter general public praise of the Sindh government in taking the most appropriate and effective measures in the fight against the pandemic.
Sources further told the Business Recorder that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza has not been effective in communicating the efficacy of measures taken by the Khan administration and Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh is media shy and addresses the media only after receiving a directive from the Prime Minister.
In marked contrast Adviser to Chief Minister Sindh Murtaza Wahab and Minister for Education Saeed Ghani's effective communication with the media contributed to the Sindh government emerging as a leader in the fight against the virus.
An official of the Planning Ministry on condition of anonymity said that since the last NCC meeting, Umar has been regularly holding meetings on government strategy and on Wednesday he held a meeting with Dr Mirza.
A senior official in the Finance Ministry on condition of anonymity said that release of funds announced in the package were not linked to the any decision by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet and that Technical Supplementary Grant implies that work had already started on the package requiring approval from the competent forum. Sometimes approval is sought one month after the commencement of work on a project, he further elaborated.
The official added that even before the announcement of the package by the Prime Minister, the Finance Ministry had begun mobilizing resources, including diverting resources from other heads.
He added that implementation with respect to some parts of the crisis package would start after two weeks.
Jehangir Tareen, close confidante of the prime minister, who has been most missed in the recent crisis, according to the Pakistan Tahree-e-Insaf insiders, was ready to offer his services whenever Imran Khan needed his support. Tareen could not be reached despite several attempts by the Business Recorder till the filing of this report.