desan
President (40k+ posts)
A NOTIFICATION reported to have been given when none was needed. One denial issued that did everything but deny.Sections in the media on Tuesday revealed official designs to give ‘massive’ powers to Hamza Shahbaz Sharif to run the affairs of government in Punjab at the head of a committee.There was a clarification the next day which refuted the establishment of any committee; only a unit was being formed to run ‘public affairs’ in Punjab, and a unit, as everyone knows, does not have the prohibitive status of a committee and thus a unit should not raise eyebrows.
It was more an occasion for the public to bow their heads in respect of yet another graduation of an heir. This was the season of sneak previews showcasing future kings.Only days earlier, there were somewhat suppressed celebrations to mark the coming of age of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the fireworks that must accompany a royal 25th birthday put on hold for the right, auspicious moment.
Now it was the turn of Hamza Shahbaz, a year shy of 40 and already empowered sufficiently, to go one decisive step further on the power path ordained for the chosen.The Sharifs are not known to be too ostentatious with their celebrations in public anyway. They are more concerned their orders are heard loud and clear and obeyed.Hamza was already considered powerful enough to have his orders obeyed without the seal of a notification. Therefore that some kind of an arrangement had now to be worked out to formalise his role exposed the impeccable Shahbaz government to some speculation for once.The formalisation of the alternate command might have been thought necessary as protection against some overzealous investigator somewhere who took rules more seriously than convention.The “[n]ephew of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif … will now be acting as a ‘deputy chief minister’,” read one report announcing the notification. It empowered Hamza “to issue instructions to district administrations for development and other projects”.“Hamza will also resolve differences between public representatives and the government officers. He will help provide basic facilities to ordinary citizens and give his recommendations on summaries forwarded by provincial departments in the Chief Minister House.“Hamza will mobilise relevant departments, elected members, civil society and government resources in the wake of natural calamities and other emergencies,” the firman was quoted to have said, further authorising the rising star of the Sharif family “to hold meetings at the chief minister secretariat”.The report said: “Copies of the notification have been sent to the chief secretary, inspector general police Punjab, all provincial secretaries, all divisional commissioners, all regional police officers, all district coordination officers and all district police officers and all other concerned asking them to comply with the orders of Hamza.”That appeared to be quite a comprehensive transfer of power, and the latter clarification which accepted that a group had been set up under Hamza did little to detract from its impact. It only betrayed that the government was not too sure if it had done the right thing here and wanted some protection.
Even before the government issued the clarification, a Facebook page designated as officially belonging to Hamza Shahbaz did flash the news about his empowerment at the head of a committee.It did not acknowledge the existence of a notification but was not shy of celebrating the capping of a sequence of events that portrayed Hamza in charge of many affairs that could only have come into his hands through delegation by his father, the chief minister.The people of Punjab had almost accepted Hamza Shahbaz as their new chief minister amid his father’s vows to give up the office post-May 2013 election.Shahbaz had publicly presented himself for the post of the water and power minister, a declaration that went well with his reputation as a politician who loved to take up challenges.He was dubbed as the best administrator in the country and the job of turning around Pakistan’s energy sector required nothing but the best.The heir apparent meanwhile was scaling new heights as now an experienced parliamentarian and a leader that PML-N workers had come to recognise while both Nawaz and Shahbaz dealt with other urgent matters.
On the eve of the election Hamza was considered to be a ‘sure’ winner in his constituency in Lahore over and above Nawaz and Shahbaz, both of whom were likely to face tougher competition from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf nominees for seats in the assemblies. He was ready to work authoritatively on his own.That trend continued post-election even as Shahbaz Sharif was prevailed upon to mind his old post in Punjab and entrust the critical water and power ministry to Khwaja Asif who was later joined by Abid Sher Ali as state minister in an apparent step to energise the ministry.Still, one theory cast Shahbaz as a possessed scientist who was working on a secret device to deliver his country and his people from darkness — vindicating his pre-election pledge of quickly ending the energy crisis.But most disturbing were the rumours that the workaholic chief minister may have been forced to delegate more and more because of limitations imposed by his health.It is all about who is more visible and there were many explanations why, at certain points in time, Hamza would be more prominent than Shahbaz. Previously it would usually be Shahbaz taking up these high-profile assignments but now he was content with making statements and that too not with the frequency or ferocity of the past.
Punjab has space for Shahbaz and Hamza and anyone else who is allowed to join in. Plenty of room for Mariam, Salman and other willing family members to contribute. If they could be out there to secure an election, securing a province and a country is a bigger cause.
http://dawn.com/news/1045774/the-prince-in-the-lead
It was more an occasion for the public to bow their heads in respect of yet another graduation of an heir. This was the season of sneak previews showcasing future kings.Only days earlier, there were somewhat suppressed celebrations to mark the coming of age of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the fireworks that must accompany a royal 25th birthday put on hold for the right, auspicious moment.
Now it was the turn of Hamza Shahbaz, a year shy of 40 and already empowered sufficiently, to go one decisive step further on the power path ordained for the chosen.The Sharifs are not known to be too ostentatious with their celebrations in public anyway. They are more concerned their orders are heard loud and clear and obeyed.Hamza was already considered powerful enough to have his orders obeyed without the seal of a notification. Therefore that some kind of an arrangement had now to be worked out to formalise his role exposed the impeccable Shahbaz government to some speculation for once.The formalisation of the alternate command might have been thought necessary as protection against some overzealous investigator somewhere who took rules more seriously than convention.The “[n]ephew of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif … will now be acting as a ‘deputy chief minister’,” read one report announcing the notification. It empowered Hamza “to issue instructions to district administrations for development and other projects”.“Hamza will also resolve differences between public representatives and the government officers. He will help provide basic facilities to ordinary citizens and give his recommendations on summaries forwarded by provincial departments in the Chief Minister House.“Hamza will mobilise relevant departments, elected members, civil society and government resources in the wake of natural calamities and other emergencies,” the firman was quoted to have said, further authorising the rising star of the Sharif family “to hold meetings at the chief minister secretariat”.The report said: “Copies of the notification have been sent to the chief secretary, inspector general police Punjab, all provincial secretaries, all divisional commissioners, all regional police officers, all district coordination officers and all district police officers and all other concerned asking them to comply with the orders of Hamza.”That appeared to be quite a comprehensive transfer of power, and the latter clarification which accepted that a group had been set up under Hamza did little to detract from its impact. It only betrayed that the government was not too sure if it had done the right thing here and wanted some protection.
Even before the government issued the clarification, a Facebook page designated as officially belonging to Hamza Shahbaz did flash the news about his empowerment at the head of a committee.It did not acknowledge the existence of a notification but was not shy of celebrating the capping of a sequence of events that portrayed Hamza in charge of many affairs that could only have come into his hands through delegation by his father, the chief minister.The people of Punjab had almost accepted Hamza Shahbaz as their new chief minister amid his father’s vows to give up the office post-May 2013 election.Shahbaz had publicly presented himself for the post of the water and power minister, a declaration that went well with his reputation as a politician who loved to take up challenges.He was dubbed as the best administrator in the country and the job of turning around Pakistan’s energy sector required nothing but the best.The heir apparent meanwhile was scaling new heights as now an experienced parliamentarian and a leader that PML-N workers had come to recognise while both Nawaz and Shahbaz dealt with other urgent matters.
On the eve of the election Hamza was considered to be a ‘sure’ winner in his constituency in Lahore over and above Nawaz and Shahbaz, both of whom were likely to face tougher competition from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf nominees for seats in the assemblies. He was ready to work authoritatively on his own.That trend continued post-election even as Shahbaz Sharif was prevailed upon to mind his old post in Punjab and entrust the critical water and power ministry to Khwaja Asif who was later joined by Abid Sher Ali as state minister in an apparent step to energise the ministry.Still, one theory cast Shahbaz as a possessed scientist who was working on a secret device to deliver his country and his people from darkness — vindicating his pre-election pledge of quickly ending the energy crisis.But most disturbing were the rumours that the workaholic chief minister may have been forced to delegate more and more because of limitations imposed by his health.It is all about who is more visible and there were many explanations why, at certain points in time, Hamza would be more prominent than Shahbaz. Previously it would usually be Shahbaz taking up these high-profile assignments but now he was content with making statements and that too not with the frequency or ferocity of the past.
Punjab has space for Shahbaz and Hamza and anyone else who is allowed to join in. Plenty of room for Mariam, Salman and other willing family members to contribute. If they could be out there to secure an election, securing a province and a country is a bigger cause.
http://dawn.com/news/1045774/the-prince-in-the-lead
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