By Ali Raza
Political analysts and people alike are surprised by the appointment of Ishaq Dar as Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, as the constitution does not mention such a post.
Even after the official holiday–Sunday–the Cabinet Division has to issue the appointment letter, indicating that something is important behind this decision.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif, on his first foreign tour of his second term, is in Saudi Arabia along with Ishaq Dar who is serving as Foreign Minister.
The notification reads that Ishaq Dar has been appointed Deputy Prime Minister following the “instructions” of the Prime Minister.
The PM along with Dar attended the World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh on Sunday.
Ahtshamul Haq, a senior journalist, said the post of Deputy Prime Minister does not exist in the Constitution of Pakistan. However, the rulers are trouncing the constitution only to serve their vested interest.
He questioned what significant Dar would do for the country which is facing a severe economic crisis. He said the unbridled inflation has made the lives of people miserable and rulers are involved in irrelevant activities.
“In my opinion, the deputy PM slot has been given to Dar following speculation that he (Dar) would be shown the door as a foreign minister soon,” he claimed.
The media reported that Dar was all set to become the finance minister, however, he was overlooked and a “paratrooper ” was selected for this important slot.
According to Nusrat Javed, a senior political analyst, the media reported that Dar was not satisfied with his portfolio as Foreign Minister. He was made Deputy Prime Minister solely to appease him.
He said the appointment has been made at a time when the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar are in Saudi Arabia.
“The government seems in a hurry for this appointment, that’s why notification was issued on Sunday.
Earlier, Pervez Elahi, the incarcerated leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, had served as the deputy Prime Minister in June 2012. He was given this slot following the instructions of then Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. It was the coalition government of the Pakistan Peoples Party.
Before being appointed as Deputy Prime Minister, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was serving as the Federal Minister for Defense Production and Industry.
Like political pundits and journalists, the legal experts are also surprised at the appointment of Dar. They said when the country is striving to get out of the political and economic crisis, the rulers are increasing the financial burden on the national kitty.
They said following public criticism, Dar may appear in the media to announce that he would not get even a penny from the national exchequer while serving as the Deputy Prime Minister. Dar will announce this only to appease critics, they added.
They said everyone knows that the Deputy Prime Minister is a symbolic post, but the question remains: why was he elevated to this slot?
Ahtsham said political figures close to the former Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Supremo, Nawaz Sharif, are feeling neglected by Shahbaz Sharif led government. It is possible that the appointment of Dar as Deputy Prime Minister is an effort to address the situation and ease tension.
He said during the last couple of days, we have observed in the media that voices are being raised by the close associates of Nawaz Sharif who also told reporters that the latter has been asked to head the party actively.
The ruling party will reject the notion that it has internal differences, however, one can imagine the actual situation through their interactions and statements, he claimed.
When the government of former Prime Minister, Imran Khan was sent packing and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) formed the government, Dar was serving as the finance minister.
Shahid Iqbal, a journalist, said it’s ironic that a senator has been made the Deputy Prime Minister. He said it is categorically mentioned in the constitution that only the member of the National Assembly would become the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
“How can a senator be appointed as Deputy Prime Minister? Following the constitution of Pakistan, we can easily translate that a senator is ineligible for the deputy Prime Minister position,” he added.
