Naqvi as caretaker
Media czar, Mohsin Raza Naqvi, is no stranger to politics. His candidature as caretaker chief minister of Punjab suggested by the PML-N is no surprise either. Naqvi is not known for putting all his eggs in one basket, and wields the charisma of being literally too close to the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, the baton-holders of PML-Q and an indispensable ally of PTI, as well as rubbing shoulders with former president Asif Ali Zardari. These are enough credentials to make him a more than a popular choice by virtue of political inclination, and also a fair bet to dispense with the ceremonial administrative duties of the biggest province of Pakistan as it goes to polls. His media orientation, moreover, comes as the icing on the cake to upgrade his skills as a generous stock-taker of bipartisanship and to push the envelope of free and fair elections as his legacy. Notwithstanding PTI’s opposition, if it opts to take a stand, Naqvi can be a promising doer and deliverer.
Naqvi’s candidature is a déjà vu for many, as prophesy pundits see him in the footprints of Najam Sethi who was the Punjab caretaker CM in 2013 elections, and to this day carries the traces of being the mentor of 35 ‘punctured’ constituencies that went wayward. This is where Naqvi must come out clean if he has to win accolades across the board, and sign off as a great administrator like a par-excellence media tycoon he is. With sound local and international media expertise under his belt, and as CEO of City Media Group, he will be in demand to exhibit wisdom and compassion, well within the lawful domains of his constitutional mandate. Knowing the vibes and nuisance of media as a mover and shaker, Naqvi stands out tall and visible.
The innovative and risk-taker journalist that he is, Naqvi sounds a more neutral choice as compared to the other named prolific figures who had their stints in legislature, and civil-legal bureaucracy. Punjab, especially, as it goes to polls will be looked up by all and sundry as the trend-setter of an upcoming mandate. Naqvi with his public and private enterprises exposure can excel by calling the shots in tandem, and deciding to look at the bigger picture of national interests. His rise to the galleries of competing corporations’ who’s who is a testimony that he is a good choice.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 20th, 2023.
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