Blame Chaudhary Nisar for everything gone awry
Amir Mateen...View from the Gallery
Thursday, August 22, 2013
From Print Edition
ISLAMABAD: There is something seriously wrong with the PML (N) government. Sheikh Rasheed may not be a reliable source on his former party but he claims that he has never seen a government falling apart in just two months. And many of our veterans in the Press Gallery concur. The PML (N) simply lacks the spirit to fight. Its members seem glaringly detached and make no effort to defend the government. In fact, they are found feeding the media against the government in corridors. You point out one mistake, they will tell you two more. The cabinet likes to stay away from the Parliament, as does the prime minister.
The government runs without the crucial lawminister - not tomention the ministries of communication, defence, commerce and foreign affairs. Most of the technical business is left to Sheikh Aftab and Rana Tanveer, the two most ineligible members of the cabinet for this job. So itwas under these circumstances that the entire opposition got up in protest.Most of its questions were being delayed, deferred or the ministers were missing from the scene. “You can’t run a government like this,” PTI’s Ayesha Gullalai protested after being denied the chance to ask supplementary questions repeatedly.
“Why does Anusha Rehman keep circling the PM House instead of doing her job here,” shouted another PTI backbencher. Sheikh Rasheed blames the prime minister for this mournful mood. The so-called ‘honeymoon period’ seems more as ‘Iddat’, the period a woman is required to mourn her husband’s death, hewas heard saying at the cafeteria According to him the party seems stuck in the past. The biggest example of this was the prime minister’s speech. It was largely a reappraisal of what went wrong earlier.
Come out of it guys; we know how bad things in the last government were. Isn’t this the reason that people voted you in power? It’s time to give them hope and show the way forward. The PML (N) government seems faltering on both the issues thatwill define its character - energy and terrorism. Abid Sher Ali should have been the last person to defend the government on the energy issue. He is aminister with the temper of an opposition member. ShafqatMahmood aptly asked about the timeframe in which the government would end electricity load shedding:
“You promised to do it in two years in your manifesto but the period is now extended to five years.” Abid Sher Ali had no answer to that. The government had given an ambitious list of projects that it wanted to accomplish in the energy sector.
The long-term measures, among other things, promised extra 19373mw of electricity. He could have defended the government position but he likes to throw brickbats instead of answers. Naveed Qamar was quick to put him on the mat by saying: “I too was misled by such figures from bureaucrats.” The PPP veteran expressed his apprehension about the creation of energy monopoly. While Naveed spoke in innuendo, Sheikh Rasheed wasmore articulate at the cafeteria weaving conspiracy theories about a particular group being awarded distribution network.
This group has other vast businesses in this field. But the government definitely needs to come clean on this issue to stop the wagging tongues—particularly of the Lal Haveli variety. On the security issue, Chaudhry Nisar continues to be in the eye of the storm. Perhaps he should stop acting as the leader of the opposition and speak in more measured way. Themore he speaks themore he gets involved in controversy. He once again had us confused about his elusive national security policy. We would like to see howhewould separate the internal security policy from the national security policy, as he explained in the National Assembly. The security policy, our pundits say, is hinged on the government stance on terrorism and how it takes the armed forces along.
Basically, it’s more about the policy than the strategy. We all wait for it with a baited breath. Chaudhry Nisar gets largely targeted because of his bravado that does not go well with the media - and perhaps with many of his colleagues. It’s an open secret that he confronts major opposition within his own party andmost of the fodder that we get against him is from his worthy colleagues.
His best pal in Lahore has to keep his one leg in Islamabad largely to clear things for him here. The internal acrimony goes a long way back but it got more highlighted recently on the choice of PML (N) candidate in Islamabad. Incidentally, Rawalpindi is the only district in Punjab which has not gone the PML (N) way and many in the party blame Chaudhry Nisar for that.
Nawaz Sharif mentioned about the need to investigate the reasons for this in a public gathering. Chaudhry Nisar, we are told, wanted Aqeel Anjum as the candidate in the Islamabad byelection. He almost got the ticket to Aqeel, bypassing the PM. This was not taken in good humour and the decision was reversed in favour of Asghar Gujjar. We don’t knowwhowas right in the choice of the PML (N) candidate. But we know that this has led to internal wrangling in the local party, which may impact the election results today. We also know that if the results do not go the PML (N) way here in Islamabad, Chaudhry Nisar will be blamed once again. Now you know what is wrong with this party.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-197370-Blame-Chaudhary-Nisar-for-everything-gone-awry
Amir Mateen...View from the Gallery
Thursday, August 22, 2013
From Print Edition
ISLAMABAD: There is something seriously wrong with the PML (N) government. Sheikh Rasheed may not be a reliable source on his former party but he claims that he has never seen a government falling apart in just two months. And many of our veterans in the Press Gallery concur. The PML (N) simply lacks the spirit to fight. Its members seem glaringly detached and make no effort to defend the government. In fact, they are found feeding the media against the government in corridors. You point out one mistake, they will tell you two more. The cabinet likes to stay away from the Parliament, as does the prime minister.
The government runs without the crucial lawminister - not tomention the ministries of communication, defence, commerce and foreign affairs. Most of the technical business is left to Sheikh Aftab and Rana Tanveer, the two most ineligible members of the cabinet for this job. So itwas under these circumstances that the entire opposition got up in protest.Most of its questions were being delayed, deferred or the ministers were missing from the scene. “You can’t run a government like this,” PTI’s Ayesha Gullalai protested after being denied the chance to ask supplementary questions repeatedly.
“Why does Anusha Rehman keep circling the PM House instead of doing her job here,” shouted another PTI backbencher. Sheikh Rasheed blames the prime minister for this mournful mood. The so-called ‘honeymoon period’ seems more as ‘Iddat’, the period a woman is required to mourn her husband’s death, hewas heard saying at the cafeteria According to him the party seems stuck in the past. The biggest example of this was the prime minister’s speech. It was largely a reappraisal of what went wrong earlier.
Come out of it guys; we know how bad things in the last government were. Isn’t this the reason that people voted you in power? It’s time to give them hope and show the way forward. The PML (N) government seems faltering on both the issues thatwill define its character - energy and terrorism. Abid Sher Ali should have been the last person to defend the government on the energy issue. He is aminister with the temper of an opposition member. ShafqatMahmood aptly asked about the timeframe in which the government would end electricity load shedding:
“You promised to do it in two years in your manifesto but the period is now extended to five years.” Abid Sher Ali had no answer to that. The government had given an ambitious list of projects that it wanted to accomplish in the energy sector.
The long-term measures, among other things, promised extra 19373mw of electricity. He could have defended the government position but he likes to throw brickbats instead of answers. Naveed Qamar was quick to put him on the mat by saying: “I too was misled by such figures from bureaucrats.” The PPP veteran expressed his apprehension about the creation of energy monopoly. While Naveed spoke in innuendo, Sheikh Rasheed wasmore articulate at the cafeteria weaving conspiracy theories about a particular group being awarded distribution network.
This group has other vast businesses in this field. But the government definitely needs to come clean on this issue to stop the wagging tongues—particularly of the Lal Haveli variety. On the security issue, Chaudhry Nisar continues to be in the eye of the storm. Perhaps he should stop acting as the leader of the opposition and speak in more measured way. Themore he speaks themore he gets involved in controversy. He once again had us confused about his elusive national security policy. We would like to see howhewould separate the internal security policy from the national security policy, as he explained in the National Assembly. The security policy, our pundits say, is hinged on the government stance on terrorism and how it takes the armed forces along.
Basically, it’s more about the policy than the strategy. We all wait for it with a baited breath. Chaudhry Nisar gets largely targeted because of his bravado that does not go well with the media - and perhaps with many of his colleagues. It’s an open secret that he confronts major opposition within his own party andmost of the fodder that we get against him is from his worthy colleagues.
His best pal in Lahore has to keep his one leg in Islamabad largely to clear things for him here. The internal acrimony goes a long way back but it got more highlighted recently on the choice of PML (N) candidate in Islamabad. Incidentally, Rawalpindi is the only district in Punjab which has not gone the PML (N) way and many in the party blame Chaudhry Nisar for that.
Nawaz Sharif mentioned about the need to investigate the reasons for this in a public gathering. Chaudhry Nisar, we are told, wanted Aqeel Anjum as the candidate in the Islamabad byelection. He almost got the ticket to Aqeel, bypassing the PM. This was not taken in good humour and the decision was reversed in favour of Asghar Gujjar. We don’t knowwhowas right in the choice of the PML (N) candidate. But we know that this has led to internal wrangling in the local party, which may impact the election results today. We also know that if the results do not go the PML (N) way here in Islamabad, Chaudhry Nisar will be blamed once again. Now you know what is wrong with this party.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-197370-Blame-Chaudhary-Nisar-for-everything-gone-awry
