The resignation of Shehzad Akbar, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability, has been called the first drop of rain on our political horizon and social media. Opposition political leaders are furious over the allegations leveled by Shehzad Akbar in the last three years. He took the opportunity to sharply criticize the former adviser. Public circles against Imran Khan may have felt that Shahzad Akbar was jumping out of a sinking ship and this is the beginning of the fall of Khan’s government.
Political circles in Islamabad, however, deny this impression. It is said that Shahzad Akbar submitted his resignation because he was asked to do so. News of Shahzad Akbar’s resignation had been circulating for the past few weeks. The reason is that PM Imran Khan is deeply concerned about the poor performance of his government and the non-fulfillment of some of his promises. Khan desperately wants the top leadership of PML-N and especially Mian Shahbaz Sharif to be punished in accountability cases as soon as possible. He is also taking a personal interest in convicting Shahbaz Sharif because he knows that Shahbaz Sharif is more capable of settling issues with the establishment than Mian Nawaz Sharif and he could be an alternative choice.
It is reported that in a cabinet meeting two weeks ago, the Prime Minister and some other ministers criticized the Accountability Advisor Shehzad Akbar. PTI’s position has been weakened due to a lack of decision. It is said that Shahzad Akbar allegedly retaliated and said that if the government’s relations with the courts are not good and decisions are delayed then what is my fault? He blamed the attorney general and the law minister and offered to resign. The matter was then averted and the Prime Minister said that there was no need for resignation.
However, this growing pressure did not abate and finally on Monday Shahzad Akbar had to resign. The speed with which the resignation was accepted and the name of the new prospective accountability adviser being circulated in the media made it clear that he had been asked to resign and that Shahzad Akbar had not made that decision on his own. Therefore, it cannot be called the first drop of rain. It is certain that Imran Khan is ready to go to any lengths to expedite the accountability process and punish the opposition leaders. The transfer of a senior NAB official from Lahore was also allegedly due to the government complaining that despite its seemingly anti-Sharif family stance and views, the officer was unable to devise a strategy to make accountability cases effective. This change was made in order to speed up the hearing of cases and allow the NAB to devote all its energies to it. The extent to which this wish of the government will be fulfilled will be known soon.
However, not everything is going well in Islamabad. The prime minister is under pressure, his body language says so, and the next day he openly said a number of things that strengthened the rumors. His statement that he would be more dangerous when he came out was considered very significant in the political and journalistic circles. Everyone knows that if Imran Khan came out of power, he could do more harm to the opposition parties than he is in a position to deliver today. Therefore, his statement is not a threat to the opposition but a clear signal to the ruling forces.
The question is, why this threat? Different circles take different positions on this.
It is said that an important person of PML-N had an important meeting, the details of which reached the Prime Minister, and then there was once again some distance between the forces on the “one page” regarding what happened in this meeting. This one page and distance end, the birth game has been going on for the last year. Various chest gazette stories are being told in this regard.
Imran Khan is in danger of brewing against him. The pot is not in front of them and neither are the ingredients of the porridge. However, Khan must have guessed that whatever is cooked out of the pot will be used against them.
In Islamabad, once again, there is talk of in-house change.
There are only two ways to change this house. Approval of a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister and subsequent dissolution of the Assemblies in case of formation of a new government or non-formation of a new government. Another speculative theory is that Khan may be disqualified for some technical reason. Keep in mind the party funding case. In case of their incompetence, a new government will be formed. The PTI itself uses two alternatives, namely Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Pervez Khattak.
Pervez Khattak, probably because he will control the KP assembly members and is acceptable to all because of his gentle nature, his supporters also argue that if he is elected then Jahangir Tareen will do his best. They will be followed by more relationships and ‘skills’. As for Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he is obviously a tall person, he has old ties with the ruling circles, he also has contacts with the opposition.
These are conspiracy theories; two things go against them. The first is that no Prime Minister in the history of Pakistan has been removed from the no-confidence motion. Even a weak federal government, with its own resources, thwarts this movement. Secondly, the opposition is not united in this regard at present. However, if a secret plan is being hatched somewhere inside the box, it is a different matter, apparently, the indications are the opposite.
Secondly, when the establishment is against a government and thinks of overthrowing it, it has three indications. The ruling party forms the Forward Bloc, with members of the Assembly launching shelling on the declared government. Government corruption scandals are coming to the fore. Every day a new scandal seems to be the adornment of the media, in the hands of certain reporters, anchors such files begin to appear in which there are stories of wrath of government corruption. Revelations also come to light regarding the personal life of the ruler. A few of his close confidants start resigning.
The most important thing is that the opposition then becomes united and united. These clear indications are that the pressure on the government has intensified and it has decided to go, gone today, gone tomorrow. Imran Khan is not in such a condition yet. His so-called credibility has not yet waned. Some things are going on now in this regard, but it is mentioned in private meetings, it is not becoming an adornment of the media.
What does it prove that the government is strong and everything will be fine? You can draw that conclusion if you want, but we didn’t say that.
There are problems, some things are going on, but right now they are in liquid form. Going forward, they can take a serious form and remember that in politics, sometimes the matter goes fast forward, the work of months, weeks and It starts happening in days, sometimes it gets so slow that the destination in front of it is found months late. The actual test case is the decision of the Prime Minister, much depends on his ability to get out of the crisis, to handle matters.
Sometimes a situation is described in the analysis, but it does not happen. This does not mean that the news is wrong or that the analysis is baseless. On the contrary, the matter is handled well and the crisis is not allowed to escalate. Credit should be given to this handling, but it is not understood by the average reader.
