Daily Times

More than one news cycle has passed after a strange cabinet appointment notification hit the airwaves on a Sunday, that too when both the premier and the intended beneficiary were not even in the country, but the frenzy appears far from settled. The decision to elevate Dar to this significant position has raised questions about what could have gone on behind closed doors to spell this development as well as the potential implications for a seemingly cosmetic move favouring a key member of the ruling party.

From the looks of it, PML(N)’s financial wizard Ishaq Dar did not wish to be cast in any smaller role after a decades-old history in the country’s political arena. Ergo, controversies to the like of corruption, financial misconduct and singlehandedly orchestrating an unprecedented economic crisis became a non-affair as Islamabad rushed to compensate Nawaz Sharif, a key political figure towering over Jati Umra. To their inconvenience, the move has served no other purpose than fuelling speculations about heated fault lines in the Sharif family, leading many to proclaim that things may not be as rosy as they look in the brother duo.

One significant aspect of Mr Dar’s appointment as Deputy Prime Minister is the debate surrounding the constitutional validity of such a position in Pakistan; leading to sheer confusion as to the nature of its responsibilities. The previous examples of ceremonial seatholders cannot hold in the case of Mr Dar, who would not sit back and let anyone else enjoy the gearstick. His overwhelming influence over the elder Sharif gives a whiff of a troubling power-sharing equation shortly where his new role would bear a significant impact on the decision-making processes within the government.

Meanwhile, the political pundits are having a field day with the announcement with a barrage of analyses, indicating a shift in the ruling party’s internal dynamics; putting the entire leadership under the microscope and insisting on there being two subsets within the Sharifs. Notwithstanding the present circumstances, we cannot close our eyes to the fact that throughout our political history, the fate of every Deputy Prime Minister, from Bhutto onwards, has been decidedly unfavourable. The most recent example of this is the current imprisonment of the last Deputy Prime Minister for political reasons. In light of this trend, we can only hope that the future will be kinder to Mr Dar. *