The expected Cabinet reshuffle—announced when the Prime Minister was still recovering from coronavirus—has been finalised. There is much of the old and nothing entirely new. The biggest surprise however, is that Minister Hammad Azhar, who was handed the portfolio of finance less than a month ago has also been redesignated. He now relinquishes it, to take over responsibilities for the Ministry of Energy.
His replacement comes in Mr Shaukat Fayyaz Ahmed Tarin, who returns as Minister for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs. His previous two-year stint in the position came in 2008-2010 as part of PPP’s Cabinet. There are always detractors, but Mr Tarin brings a wealth of experience from the banking sector and returns in a post he is familiar with, which is why the decision itself is perfectly rational.
What always causes pause in these Cabinet reshuffles, is the way we arrive at the final outcome. Why was Mr Azhar given the finance portfolio a month ago, only for it to be taken away soon after? Why could Mr Tarin not be appointed in the first place, when Hafeez Sheikh was being replaced?
Similarly, this is now Fawad Chaudhry’s second spell as the Information Minister. What changed during his time at the helm of affairs in the Science and Technology Ministry to warrant this shuffle? Mr Chaudhry had been spearheading efforts to bring about technological innovation in many spheres, alongside announcing important decisions such as a move to electric buses in the future and an electric vehicle policy for Pakistan. Where do these initiatives stand now?
Beyond issues of continuity, there is always the question of what the Prime Minister is really looking for from this periodic reshuffle. Is it an improvement in individual performance or to meet specific targets? Is the motive behind these a complete overhaul in the way a ministry is functioning, or a more gradual change in trajectory?
As the next step, the PM and his team should develop a clear system of goals and look to have a more transparent appraisal process for ministerial performance. Doing that will help the government get more out of any reshuffles and also ensure that the need to chop and change the Cabinet does not arise as often.