**PPP is confused as Nawaz honours friends and family **
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has apparently distributed the key ministries given to his party in the Gilani cabinet among his “family and friends”.
On the other hand the confused leadership of PPP continues to shuffle the proposed ministries to its nominees, as now it has shifted Ahmed Mukhtar to Defence Ministry, Khurshid Shah would now head the Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis while Farooq Naik would head the Law Ministry.
Interestingly, when Nawaz was fondly rewarding his friends, family members and diehard loyalists, a caring Shahbaz Sharif is said to have asked his elder brother not to forget the fiery struggle of Tehmina Daultana who had faced the wrath of the military regime after the departure of the Sharif family from Pakistan in 2000.
But, sources said, Nawaz was too busy with awarding the ministries to his own men of choice and loyalists and Tehmina was still unsure to get any slot in the cabinet. The heroic struggle of Tehmina could be judged from the single fact that when Shahbaz and Nawaz were in jail and rest of party leaders had quietly joined the Q League, there used to be a serious joke in the whole of Pakistan that there were only two “men” in the PML-N struggling against Musharraf: Kulsoom Nawaz and Tehmina Daultana.
Nawaz Sharif has at least given two most lucrative ministries to his close relatives. The most powerful ministry of all, Finance will be headed by Senator Ishaq Dar who happens to be the father-in-law of Sharif’s daughter.
Another close relative is MNA Abid Sher, who is being proposed for the slot of minister for commerce. The rest of seven proposed ministers are the old loyalists of Nawaz and he has preferred them over the rest of his party lieutenants.
One PML-N leader has, however, defended these nominations, saying they all were top party leaders who had proved their worth in testing times and they were the bright parliamentarians who had the abilities to run the ministries in difficult times.
He did not agree that these nominations were made on the basis of “family or friends”. “Could you term the choice of Ishaq Dar wrong as he is an able man?” he asked. The PML-N, it may be noted, has been given all the key ministries which deal with the financial and economic side of the government such as Finance, Commerce, Agriculture, Petroleum, Communications, Planning and Development, and Ports and Shipping. The PPP has been content with Information, Interior, Foreign Affairs and Defence.
As the time fast approaches for the PPP and PML leadership to announce their ministers to be given oath, the top leaders were still found busy in changing the portfolios of their ministers at the last time. Ch Nisar Ali Khan, who was earlier being tipped as the Petroleum minister, was now being given the Communications Ministry. Khawaja Asif is being shifted to the Petroleum Ministry. But, the most surprising news which is in the making and might surprise everyone is that of induction of MNA Abid Sher Ali from Faisalabad as the commerce minister.
Abid, the son of former MNA Sher Ali, is related to Nawaz Sharif. Sher Ali had spent many years with Yousuf Raza Gilani in the Adiala jail. He did not contest the election in 2002 and brought his young and fiery son Abid Sher Ali. The next choice of Nawaz is Ahsan Iqbal who intriguingly in the earlier years of Musharraf era, had disappeared from the scene. In those days, the loyalists like Siddiqul Farooq were left alone to face the wrath of the military government. Farooq was even thrashed by General Javed Ashraf Qazi. But as the times changed, Siddiqul Farooq was dumped and replaced with three-piece suited Ahsan Iqbal. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is yet another choice for the ministerial job. He was the chairman PIA on the fateful day of October 12, 1999 when Nawaz had removed the Army chief and allegedly he tried to divert the plane carrying Musharraf. Abbasi also stayed in jail for a long time.
MNA Sa’ad Rafiq is another nominee for the slot of a minister. However, his long struggle in the last five years against Musharraf has always been appreciated by everyone in the media and political circles. He is also given the credit to bring big number of people the day Chief Justice had visited Lahore last year. Sa’ad had earned his place in the ranks of the party in all these last five years in the absence of the Sharif brothers.
Former chief minister NWFP Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan is also in the list. He too remained steadfast and loyal during the last eight years of persecution, as he did not ditch the party as he preferred to stay in jail at the hands of NAB. In the PPP, Naveed Qamar is now being given Ports and Shipping and Raja Pervez Ashraf is being considered for Water and Power. Sources said so far the portfolios of almost all the nominees for ministers from the PPP side have been reshuffled but Sherry Rehman, because of her past experience of journalism, has been given advance confirmation to head the Information Ministry. Sherry has been picked to perform this difficult role keeping in view of her abilities and competence as her elevation is being seen as a move to improve Pakistan’s image abroad.
My comments: This new democratic government has so much promise. But it is a shame that Mian Nawaz Sharif has not learned the lessons of his previous government which was overthrown and again appointed members of his family and biradri.
