Daily Times

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto; Begum Nusrat Bhutto; Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, and now, Ishaq Dar. That four political masterminds have, at some, point willingly chosen a seemingly ceremonial and, more importantly, extra-constitutional position of deputy prime minister cannot be a sheer coincidence.

Interestingly in 2012, Mr Elahi’s appointment notification had plain-facetdly quoted, “This shall not confer upon him any powers of the prime minister in any manner whatsoever.” Similar symbolism can, nevertheless, not be expected to follow suit in the case of someone who enjoys extraordinary influence in the Sharif family. But while the technicalities as to which ministries would report to Mr Dar and how the legislature would address the redistribution of power, the haste in announcing this to the world while both he and PM Sharif are in Saudi Arabia adds to the mystery. On one hand, this speaks to the resurging of PML(N) supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who sees a loyal lieutenant in the financial czar Dar. Even though he is nowhere to be seen on the federal stage, carving out space for his yes-man means he has not completely been written off the political script. Would the new status quo, by extension, mean the younger Sharif has already lost the confidence of the Nawaz camp? Is there a between-the-lines message for Rawalpindi? The coming days might, once again, take the elder brother to the forefront.

It is still hoped that any decision made was the result of careful consideration, rather than being influenced by petty appeasement or protocol. The controversial stint of Mr Dar as finance minister and his alleged involvement in the substantiation of money laundering against Sharifs have done little to weaken his standing. No qualms about that. But no matter whose eyes or ears he may be, Pakistan is not at a stage where key appointments can be handed (or created) to dole out candy to the blue-eyed children. After harping on and on about the burden of bloated cabinets, the ball is now in the political elite’s court. PM Sharif (and all provincial governments, for that matter) must view every decision through a single perspective: how would this help deliver relief to the masses? Look a thousand times before you leap. *