Pakistan's Prime Minister-designate Shaukat Aziz has been elected to the National Assembly with a thumping majority. His victory is being projected as a peaceful transition of power¿from Jamali to Shujaat to Aziz-- and as a sign of democracy maturing in Pakistan.
Pakistan's Prime Minister-designate Shaukat Aziz has been elected to the National Assembly with a thumping majority. His victory is being projected as a peaceful transition of power-from Jamali to Shujaat to Aziz-- and as a sign of democracy maturing in Pakistan.
What can be expected from Pakistan's new Prime Minister? As far as economic expectations go, his priority would be to give added impetus to policies geared to open up the economy. He is determined to make Pakistan a modern, progressive and enlightened Islamic welfare state. Dealing with water scarcity and the sense of deprivation among the provinces would be two of the major challenges he would face. His political dexterity, and perhaps survival, would be tested by the way he deals with terrorism, ethnic violence and the deteriorating law and order situation in Pakistan. The critical challenge, however, would be the manner in which he would deal with the constitutional anomaly like President Musharraf's uniform issue, which, in a way, will determine his political maturity, and perhaps a place in history.
It is not that Shaukhat Aziz had it all laid out for him. His candidature has been mired with several controversies right from the day he was nominated as Prime Minister designate. The one strong contention in his favor has been that his policies invited foreign investment in Pakistan. He is known for his strong links with international financial institutions and a pro-US outlook, which should suit President Musharraf at a time when Pakistan is keen to be America's key ally in the war against terrorism.
Parallels have been drawn between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Shaukat Aziz, as the former is also an economic wizard who initiated the policy of economic liberalisation in India. The comparison however is untenable as Manmohan Singh was a senior Congress party leader and also served as the leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, while Aziz has no such political experience.
His lack of independent political base in Pakistan is in consonance with the establishment's preference for people without political clout of their own. President Musharraf's position thus remains secure, particularly considering the fact that Aziz does not even have complete support of the members from the ruling party, and cannot influence even small factions as former Prime Minister Jamali had managed to do with Pir Pagaro. The charges leveled against him include questions about his citizenship, which he still has not clarified. Similar questions that were raised about him being a Sunni were quickly clarified and he promptly declared that he was a Sunni Muslim.
His election too has not been without its share of allegations and counter-allegations. At least one major case of political bribery has come to light where orders were issued to banks to write off at least Rs 400 million dues against Nasrullah Dareshak, the Chief Whip of the majority party supporting Aziz. Dareshak owns the Indus Sugar Mills which owes Rs 400 million to banks but his loans were written off. Besides,fresh capital of Rs 300 million to run the Indus Sugar Mills has also been approved by Aziz.
A massive effort was thrown in to make it look like a genuine democratic exercise. Party loyalists cleared the seats in Tharparkar and Attock constituencies so that the Prime Minister-designate could file his nominations. Earlier, Okara constituency in Punjab was considered but later rejected as unsafe. The controversy over the military occupation of farmlands in Okara would have invited undue, and undesirable, attention by the international media, which was watching the elections closely.
A leader towing the Army's line and concentrating on economic policy and governance without undue interference in political matters suits the Army perfectly. And Shaukat Aziz fits the bill.
Shaukat Aziz: A Profile
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