Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi is dissatisfied with the performance evaluation of his ministry. He has formally lodged a protest with Shehzad Arbab the Advisor to the Prime Minister who was assigned the task of developing the scoring methodology. The Foreign Office (FO) is considered to be one of the most important ministries of any government. Coming at 11th position is indeed embarrassing for the Minister who claims to be the second most important person in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). If he claims being treated unfairly, he should step down. His performance should be revaluated through an independent performance audit. Everyone, including a Makhdoom deserves a second chance as no manmade system is perfect.
By definition, Makhdoom is a holy man who has to be served, a saintly person or a Pir. Serving others is not required of them as they are at a higher level of existence. Their followers’ line up to heap bounties on them, which they collect and take home. The PTI remained ‘Makhdoom-less’ till the mammoth jalsa at Lahore in October 2011. By the time the Caravan of Change moved to Karachi in December there were two of them on the stage. Makhdoom Javed Hashmi was greeted with chants of “Baghi” while Makhdoom Shah Mahmood proudly placed himself next to the Chairman on the main stage, while the old guard was relegated to the lower level.
After the massive public gathering at Mazar-e-Quaid on December 25, 2011, a dinner had been arranged by the late Comrade Ahsan Rashid (Late) for the old and new guard to break bread. It proved to be the proverbial ‘Last Supper’. The ‘Makhdoomization’ of the PTI took place. While one managed to become the Vice Chairman, the other became the President. Under the Kaptaan the party was divided between the two Makhdooms of Multan.
There are lessons to be learnt. Like cricket, team selection does matter in politics. Yes, over the years PTI has battle-hardened comrades as claimed by the PM, but they are not in the arena. I am sure they are not standing behind the Makhdooms of Multan. For a progressive party of change in the real world, ‘ Makhdoomization ‘ is not the way forward
Comrade Ahsan Rashid, despite his standing in the party, was sidelined mainly because of poor health. While Makhdoom Shah Mahmood has income from the shrine, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi was accused of selling party tickets in Multan in the 2013 elections. During the heat of the Dharna in 2014, Hashmi Sahib parted ways with the party which ended his political career. His old party, the PML(N), did not take him back. Shah Sahib has been around all major parties, perhaps the only opening left for him is to struggle for the creation of a new South Punjab province and then become its Chief Minister. I am sure the PTI will be better off without the Makhdoom’s. Earlier Comrade Taj Muhammad Langah had dedicated his life for a similar cause. Shah Sahib can pick up the thread from there and build on it.
During Benazir’s second term in office, a massive bureaucratic reshuffle was planned. Two powerful and notorious bureaucrats who had influence over the PM were being considered for important and lucrative slots. One of them was going to the United Nations as the permanent representative while the other was coming to Lahore as Chief Secretary.
I wrote an article ‘Another aimless bureaucratic reshuffle’.. The newspaper forwarded a well written, laser printed letter from one of them accusing me of being unfair. He highlighted his performance in bringing the IPPs (Independent Power Producers) and building road infrastructure in the country. I suggested a ‘Performance Audit’ to establish his claims, to which he readily agreed but insisted on tasking the government auditors’ for the job while I insisted on independent auditors, to which he was adverse.
Perhaps in his entire career he had moved up the ranks without a real performance evaluation The Audit System is the land of the pure is seriously flawed, it needs a major revamp. Having personally gone through the ‘Lead Auditor’ course followed by an exam, I knew the limitations of our flawed and seriously compromised evaluation criteria that is not able to contain mediocrity.
I don’t think any Makhdoom has ever faced a real performance audit in the land of the mortals as their credentials are superior and spiritual beyond the scope of humans. Due to lack of experience and exposure to a systems performance audit’, the Makhdoom does deserve one more final chance to establish his worldly credentials or gracefully return to his inherited shrine in Multan, the land of the Sufis.
Lately there has been a debate about operating within institutional boundaries. While the judiciary and armed forces are being urged to operate in their own domains, I seriously think the same principle should apply to their holinesses as well. In the world of spirituality, it is widely believed that ‘No Faqir has ever given up Faqiri for Royalty but several Royals have become Faqirs’. Faqiri and Royality cannot coexist, there has to be a reality check to break the shackles of the past and move forward.
After his great election victory in the 1970 electoral contest, Bhutto proudly exclaimed that the politics of ‘ Mirs and Pirs ‘ was over. In his original team were real comrades like Dr Mubashir Hasan, Sheikh Rashid (Sr), Hanif Ramay, Mairaj Khalid, Khurshid Hasan Mir, Mairaj Muhammad Khan, and Dr Ghulam Hussain, to name a few. By the next election in 1977 they were all back with a bang on the bandwagon of change.
When the crunch time came the Quaid-e-Awam was left alone to struggle for his life. The only support came from his own family members. Holiness prevailed over the Himalayas and they did not cry, even the waters of Indus did not turn red when the most popular leader of his times was hanged in Rawalpindi and then quickly buried in his home village near Larkana.
There are lessons to be learnt. Like cricket, team selection does matter in politics. Yes, over the years PTI has battle-hardened comrades as claimed by the PM, but they are not in the arena. I am sure they are not standing behind the Makhdooms of Multan. For a progressive party of change in the real world, ‘ Makhdoomization ‘ is not the way forward.
