Were federal ministers awarded on performance or favoritism?

Prime Minister Imran Khan distributed certificates of appreciation to the 10 best-performing federal ministries. On the occasion, he said that if the ministers do not do a good job then what can he do.

The purpose of governance is to improve the lives of the people. No system can succeed without punishment. Bonuses and incentives will be given to the best-performing ministries.

The opposition has strongly criticized the distribution of certificates of appreciation among the federal ministers, while there is also great unrest in government circles. PTI’s own ministers also appear to be displeased with the selection of awardees. 

Let’s take a look at the performance of the 10 ministers who made it to the list.

1) Murad Saeed

Under the leadership of Murad Saeed, the Ministry of Communications was ranked first among the best performing ministries for which Murad Saeed was awarded the appreciation award while toll taxes have increased many times during Murad Saeed’s tenure.

There are also reports of withholding funds from employees while the country has not come up with any major plan in Murad Saeed’s ministry.

2) Asad Umar

In terms of performance, Asad Umar’s Ministry of Planning was ranked second. This is the same Asad Umar whom Imran Khan used to call his greatest economist before coming to power and who was expelled from the Ministry of Finance after coming to power.

As far as the Ministry of Planning is concerned, during the two-year coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Planning failed in any major planning. The Ministry of Planning has hardly come up with a plan under CPEC, yet it makes sense to be ranked second in performance.

3) Sania Nishtar

The Ministry of Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation ranked third in the best performance. Under the leadership of Sania Nishtar, the Ehsaas program provided assistance to the people of coronavirus under the Cash Program.

Although the Benazir Income Support Programme was renamed and the existing system was presented in different formats but people got the facility so their presence in the list is somewhat justified.

4) Shafqat Mahmood

The federal government under the leadership of Shafqat Mehmood has given the fourth rank to the Ministry of Education. It is impossible to control for many years to come.

Millions of children have dropped out of school and the quality of education has also declined.

5) Shireen Mazari

Shireen Mazari’s Ministry of Human Rights was ranked fifth among the top-performing ministries selected by the government. Her ministry, if examined on the basis of the worst performance in Pakistan, may get a score even higher than the first.

In the time of Mazari, the Ministry of Human Rights has hardly succeeded in giving rights to any human being, while in his time, human rights are being violated in the country on a daily basis. The country has seen a sharp rise in rape, violence, kidnappings, and other inhumane incidents, but the reward for their high performance is nothing short of astonishing.

6) Khusro Bakhtiar

Khusro Bakhtiar’s Ministry of Industries and Production came in sixth in receiving the award at the hands of the prime minister.

This was also an interesting incident as despite being an agricultural country of Pakistan, the government’s agricultural production has declined in recent times and farmers are still protesting for fertilizer. The industries in the country are closed due to a shortage of gas and the industrialists are facing difficulties in this situation, the purpose of congratulating Bakhtiar’s ministry is by no means understood.

7) Moeed Yusuf 

National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf received 7th rank in High Performance. So far, the intellect and consciousness have so far failed to solve the mystery of what performance they were rewarded for. Despite assurances from the Pakistani-Afghan Taliban in the time of Moeed Yosuf, security forces are being attacked from Afghanistan and the internal security situation is not very proud.

8) Abdul Razak Dawood

Trade is the backbone of any country. However, Abdul Razak Dawood’s Ministry of Commerce ranked eighth in terms of performance. However, if the ground realities are taken into account, traders are facing severe difficulties.

The wheel of trade in the country is badly jammed. Traders are worried about tax refunds and FBR, but if Abdul Razzaq Dawood has been rewarded, then perhaps a significant success can be seen through the microscope.

9) Sheikh Rasheed

The most beloved and influential minister of the government, Sheikh Rasheed’s Interior Ministry got 9th rank for his excellent performance but it is not known on what basis he got it.

Apart from the disruption of the TLP, after Sheikh Rasheed was given the ministry of interior after destroying the railway system, there was an increase in terrorist incidents in the country, while killings from Karachi to Khyber fell. There has been a horrific increase in looting and other crimes and yet if the performance of the Interior Ministry is good then God is the one who remembers the bad performance.

10) Fakhar Imam

In the race for prizes among the federal ministers, Fakhar Imam’s Ministry of National Food Security bagged the final award. However, if his ministry is reviewed, then due to the high performance of National Food Security, Pakistan is currently having to import flour, sugar, and other agricultural commodities.

Despite the disappointing performance of the Ministry of National Food Security in protecting agriculture from damage during climate change, water resources, and other areas, it is not fair to award.

Reward and punishment

The purpose of questioning the performance of the ministers here is not to call the government a failure or the rewards wrong. The statement of the prime minister is 100 percent true that the system cannot function without punishment and retribution but the performance has come to light only from a pure review of this list and if he reviews the numerical performance of the ministries then the facts will be more bitter.

Prime Minister Imran Khan must encourage his ministers but instead of rewarding anyone on the basis of mere likes and dislikes, he must once again review the practical performance of these ministries.