SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)
While the government is working hard to re-establish the oil supply line, an intense discussion is under way within the ruling PML-N whether to own the crisis politically or restrict it to official malfeasance, according to government and political sources well connected to the corridors of power.
As opposition parties have requisitioned a National Assembly session to debate the oil crisis, a few in the ruling party feel that some ‘political heads’ should roll for the shortage.
“Although this is uncommon in Pakistan, considering the magnitude of the problem, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif shouldn’t hesitate in showing the door to a minister or two or at least change their portfolios,” a member of the federal cabinet told Dawn. Changing the portfolio or sending a minister home can help the government save its face against the opposition’s onslaught.
“At a time when all political parties supported the government in the passage of the 21st Amendment, we have reciprocated their goodwill gesture with petrol crisis,” the minister said, adding that under a constant media scrutiny, neither the public nor opposition parties would buy the argument that only officials were responsible for the mismanagement.
According to the sources, Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was willing to offer his resignation, but in response needed every minute detail which led to drying up of petrol stations over the past week to be made public. In that case, according to a PML-N office-bearer, everything will boil down to the all-powerful Finance Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar.
At Monday’s emergency meeting, the petroleum minister agreed to quit but asked the prime minister to be fair in determining the root cause of the problem which revolved around payments to and from the Pakistan State Oil (PSO), where Senator Dar had a key role to play. This is the last thing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would want.
At one point during the sitting, an irritated Khaqan Abbasi even complained to the prime minister that some top officials of his ministry didn’t even bother to brief him about the shortage, a ruling party member who claimed to have learnt what transpired during the meeting told Dawn on Wednesday.
According to another party source, the appointment of Zahid Muzaffar as petroleum adviser was a cause of friction between Mr Abassi and Mr Dar. On more than one occasion, media persons chided Mr Abbasi about Mr Muzaffar’s placement, if the later has been sent to his ministry to keep a check on him by Senator Dar.
Because of the indirect involvement of Mr Dar in the crisis, according to the PML-N source, there is every likelihood that the government will do its best to paper over what actually led to unfolding of shortage of fuel at a time when oil prices have witnessed a steep decline in recent months across the world.
At least for now, the government appears to be following the same line of action. On Saturday, the prime minister had suspended Petroleum Secretary Abid Saeed, Additional Petroleum Secretary Naeem Malik, Director General Oil C.M. Azam and PSO Managing Director Amjid Janjua. The number of suspended officials rose to five on Tuesday when PSO’s Deputy Managing Director Sohail Butt was also made dysfunctional.
Meanwhile, pressure is building up on the PML-N government to own the mess instead of making government officials scapegoats. The PPP has called for a judicial probe into the petrol shortage. Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Ahmed Shah said on Tuesday that whatever be the causes of the crisis, the buck stopped at the prime minister’s table.
www.dawn.com
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