The quiet passing of Sartaj Aziz was not marked by any major political disturbances, but no one seems to have noticed that Pakistan has lost two former Foreign Ministers in him and Gohar Ayub Khan. Unlike Gohar, Sartaj was never one for the hurly-burly of parliamentary politics, and only served in the Senate, where he was also a Finance Minister.
Unlike Ishaq Dar, the other Finance Minister of the Nawaz years, he didn’t really get deeply involved in the Senate, and indeed, technically he was never Foreign Minister, having been PM’s Advisor, no longer being in the Senate. He started out as an agricultural economist, taking a degree in Harvard in the subject. Gohar had come to the office in a different way, having been Speaker of the National Assembly in 1993, when it was dissolved and then restored.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, one of their successors, should remember that the Foreign Ministry seems to have been treated as a sort of consolation prize, Sartaj was given Foreign Affairs after being dropped from Finance, while Gohar had been Speaker. Apart from the fact that they were both from KP, both Gohar and Sartaj missed their birthdays. Gohar died in late November, while his birthday was on January 8. Sartaj died on January 2, while his birthday was on February 2. Their great age, 85 and 94 respectively, would be consolation to Shah Mahmood, who is now 67. He should look forward to the passing of his birthday in June. Going by that standard, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari should not be worrying for many years, being now 35, with a September birthday to watch. The caretaker, Jalil Abbas Bilani, should be safe, being 68. But with his birthday coming up on February 2, his friends and wellwishers should hope he crosses that hurdle successfully.
Shah Mehmood is not only alive, but has had his nomination papers rejected. He needs them accepted, so that he ends up in the National Assembly, but Imran Khan does not. Then he might find himself heading the PTI parliamentary party, and possibly Prime Minister. It’s important that he becomes PM, because local rival Yousaf Reza Gilani has held the job. One must remember that it was less important for Pakistan to go nuclear once India did, than for Shah Mehmood to become PM once Yousaf Reza had. Understand, Shah Mehmood didn’t have more than the usual incentive of any politician to become PM, but his universe changed after Yousaf Reza had held the job.
Of course, that would depend on two things. First, the PTI would have to win a majority. Then Imran would have to stay disqualified. Shah Mahmood would have to qualify somehow, Somehow, I don’t think any pleas that he had won the 1992 World Cup, or had built a cancer hospital will impress the election tribunal.
Even if the PTI candidates manage to jump over the obstacle represented by the rejection of their papers, they might not get the majority they seek. In fact, everyone thinks they won’t. Of course, that might well mean that the playing field is uneven, but was it level when the PTI won?
Well, perhaps if nothing else, the PTI can take heart from the Pakistani defeat by Australia. Of course, the danger still exists that it might be decided to take Shaheen Shah Afridi onto the same page. But Imran would probably have liked Australia to have lost this match. It would have shown that Pakistan loses with Shaheen in the team, and wins without. As it is, his being in the team didn’t make any difference. He played two matches. We lost. He was rested in the third. We still lost.
Well, maybe it shouldn’t. Imran himself has not exactly covered himself in glory in Australia, with his captaincy tour in 1989-90 ending in a 1-0 defeat, though admittedly his 136 not out in the Second Test was a little higher than the captain’s knock of a duck by Shan Masood, whose chances of getting on the same page were greatly reduced.
Of course, Imran is above these things now, now that he is writing for The Economist. The Information Minister doesn’t know how he could get the piece out. Maybe he mailed it. Anyhow, I suppose all is according to the Jail Manual, including this. Maybe the Jail Superintendent should be worried.
