Cabinet challenges

The cabinet's degree of success will determine how the Sharif government is perceived in the long run.

The new 25-member cabinet, which will spearhead national affairs in the coming years, has taken oath. Key portfolios have also been announced, with Ishaq Dar to take charge of finance, as we already knew, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan of interior and Khawaja Asif the hot seat of water and power in a country starved of energy. Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif has himself, at least for now, kept the key ministry of defence, Sartaj Aziz will be an adviser on finance and Tariq Fatemi on foreign affairs.

The cabinet reflects the nature of the PML-N’s mandate. At least 20 of the cabinet members are from Punjab with only one from the south of the province, and a handful from the other provinces. The issue of Punjab-centrism has come up before during Mr Sharif’s tenures in power. The cabinet, of course, needs to be chosen on merit, so it can complete the tough work that lies before it. But at the same time, Mr Sharif also needs to ensure that he can establish his government as a truly national one and escape the notion that it is essentially a Punjab entity, reflecting an agenda associated mainly with that province. We all know the issues associated with this. Also to be noted is the fact that in a country where half the population comprises women, only two women are part of the cabinet, and that, too, as ministers of state.

Perhaps, what should concern us more is the matter of how the cabinet will tackle the long list of issues stretched out before it. Its degree of success in this will determine how the Sharif government is perceived in the longer run. The challenges are many. As Mr Sharif has already emphasised, reviving an economy close to collapse is a central issue. This issue has to be resolved to put the country back on track. Tied in to this is the energy crisis, law and order, militancy and the intricate issues of foreign policy. How these are handled will be of immense significance to all of us, given the desperate need to move towards progress and resolve the quandary of a nation pinned down by a tightly woven net of problems.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2013.

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