Agreement at last in Punjab

A competent caretaker set-up here is vital and we must certainly hope that Mr Sethi can meet this challenge.

The last-minute agreement reached between the PML-N and the PPP in Punjab on a caretaker chief minister is a good omen. The naming of journalist Najam Sethi for the post came just as the ticking clock marked the moving on of time and the moment when the matter would have gone to the Election Commission of Pakistan for a decision, as happened in the case of the caretaker prime minister. Till then, despite round after round of meeting, the PML-N had failed to approve either of the candidates named by the PPP, while the PPP declined to accept names put forward by the PML-N. A final “review” meeting held by the PML-N, apparently on the urging of outgoing chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, led to the settlement on Mr Sethi’s name. It has also been reported that PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif was reluctant to allow the matter to go to the ECP, in case that body picked a PPP-named candidate.



At the end of the drama that continued into the evening of March 26, the consensus reached is welcome. It shines a better light on politicians, showing us that they are indeed capable of maturity and good sense. We needed to see this. The role played by politicians will, of course, be crucial in the weeks ahead.

The choice of a journalist for a caretaker role as chief executive in Punjab is also one that should prove interesting to watch. Mr Sethi has always written, and spoken on television, openly and candidly. The views he holds on many matters are strong ones. As he himself has said, the time has come to turn words to deeds. But, of course, Mr Sethi as a caretaker will not be responsible for policy. He has made it clear that his role will be to work with the ECP and implement its decisions. The agreement reached by both key parties should make this a little easier for him to do in a province where many key electoral battles are likely to be fought. A competent caretaker set-up here is vital and we must certainly hope that Mr Sethi — who has good relations with both the PML-N and the PPP leaders — can meet this challenge.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2013.