Periscope On Pakistan

THE NATION:

General Pervez Musharraf may take some more time to finalise the list of civilian technocrats8217; for his interim government. In taking this decision he would not be the first head of the government to induct non-elected technocrats into policy-making positions. President Leghari did that after he had dismissed the PPP government of Benazir Bhutto and even Mian Nawaz Sharif tried to do that for a brief spell when Senator Sartaj Aziz8217;s portfolio was changed from finance to foreign affairs. In a sense even Sartaj Aziz and his recent successor in the ministry of finance were technocrats. They had no doctorate in economics, as Dr Hafeez Pasha had, who was made adviser to the prime minister for a while, but they were not laymen either. Despite this effort, if the economy failed to pick up, it was not merely because of the bad advice tendered to the prime minister but the prime minister was oftennot willing to listen to good advice. Before him, General Zia too rejected the good advice given to him to build the Kalabagh Dam because the then governor of NWFP, General Fazal-i-Haq considered that politically inexpedient. In theory, therefore, the economy of the country may not have suffered just because the policy-makers did not know what to do but because those in power avoided doing it to please one political lobby or another. In selecting these technocrats one will also have to see whether they have had any past political affiliations which would colour their views, regardless of whether or not these views would eventually benefit any group or political party. It so happens that most of our so-called technocrats carry a political baggage of one or another kind. That would greatly reduce the number of candidates for the jobs the Chief Executive may have in mind.

Back-channel diplomacy