Power-sharing in Punjab

One has to be a sceptic to dispute Mian Shahbaz Sharif's devotion to the rule of law and good governance. Comparing his government's five-month performance to that of a protracted misrule of the Gujrati mafia there is at least one striking difference: Patronising corruption was the top priority of the previous regime; it no longer is on the official agenda. There has been a paradigm shift in the style of governance. It is not just about making roads and building infrastructure but more about giving respite to the masses suffering from abject poverty, rising inflation, lawlessness and unemployment. Mian Shahbaz does not admire an activity unless it shows any sign of mitigating public miseries. The way he tackled the flour crisis is a case in point. It may be wrong to blame him for making three Provincial Food Secretaries scapegoats one after the other. These guys had failed to effectively meet the biggest challenge facing the government so far. But then he will have to do some explaining for retaining an equally incompetent food minister.

It was a case of political expediency overtaking principles. Mian Shahbaz's aversion for 'turncoats' is known to all and sundry but he couldn't help abandoning his trusted aide Inamullah Niazi and embracing Niwanis of Bhakkar when it came to bolstering his party's strength in the Punjab Assembly. The same logic was at work when a senior police officer related to the Chaudhrys of Gujrat and hardly known for any virtue was given a lucrative posting after he promised to fetch two MPAs from Sargodha to vote for Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui. Ridiculous. Two Punjab Assembly members do not even make a single vote in the presidential election!

But that's that. There are no more compromises, no more departures from the promised public welfare policies. Mian Shahbaz's reaction to any issue is to inquire what would be beneficial for the people rather than what would be popular. Perhaps he understands that great leaders history remembers were those who did not mind taking unpopular decision for the larger good of their nations. One big advantage he has over his predecessors is the people's confidence that his actions are not dictated by his desire to increase his fortunes.