An emotionally-charged cabinet meeting on Wednesday almost ended in a near collapse of the government after almost all cabinet members mutinied and charged their own government of inaction and indecisiveness in the face of the rising trend of lawlessness in the heart of the federal capital.
Two of the ministers, Babar Awan and Raza Rabbani, said they were ready to quit the cabinet in protest.
Sources privy to the developments said that cabinet members were more furious over the government’s inaction in the face of rising militancy than anything else.
The ministers were more chagrined that those in the government responsible for fighting militancy were doing nothing more than issuing inane statements after each tragedy.
They wanted the prime minister to hold these people accountable and let some heads roll.
The ministers’ common demand was to sack those responsible for the poor law and order in the country, indirectly questioning the performance of all the agencies which are assigned the task of protecting the life and property of the citizens.
The sources said Babar Awan and Raza Rabbani led the charge who were so agitated that both of them told a visibly embarrassed cabinet colleagues that if no one was ready to demonstrate the required moral courage, they accepted the responsibility for failing to prevent the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, and were ready to tender their resignations.
Both ministers said that they might cause “others” to feel shame over how they let their own government down with their combination of inaction and verbosity, speaking out regularly while practically having done nothing to check the rising incidence of violence in the heart of Islamabad.
The situation might have escalated beyond salvage but the prime minister saved the day by announcing that he would take responsibility and resign.
This manoeuvre worked wonders as it cooled down the ministers’ fury.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 4th, 2011.
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