ISLAMABAD: In the past two days, the federal government has seen the resignations of Deputy Planning Commission Chairman Dr Jahanzeb Khan and Dr Qaiser Bengali, a member of three government committees. These resignations of the two top highlight ongoing governance issues facing the federal government.
Government sources said that some appointments of the current government seem not aligned with the policies of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
Additionally, certain individuals in government are not seen with favour by the all-time powerful establishment. These factors contribute to the governance issues faced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government, and the resignations of the two top officials could be seen in this context.
Dr Jahanzeb Khan’s resignation as deputy chairman planning commission is particularly palpable as he had been appointed against the wishes of Federal Minister for Planning and PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal. In the presence of Dr Jahanzeb, Ahsan Iqbal could not enforce his policies as minister.
However, after convincing PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, Ahsan Iqbal retained his position with full authority, which led to the resignation of Dr Jahanzeb, a well-known bureacrat.
Eminent economist Dr Qaiser Bengali resigned from his membership in three key federal government committees. He sent his resignation to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Cabinet Secretary Kamran Afzal, stepping down from the government’s austerity, right-sizing, and cost-cutting committees.
Sources said that the federal government and influential circles did not like and favour Bengali’s recommendations, which included significant changes to the economic structure and reducing the privileges of high-ranking officers.
Dr Bengali had advocated for cutting government expenses by reducing perks for senior officers rather than targeting lower-grade employees.
He had emphasised that by doing away with high-ranking officers, the government could save up to Rs30 billion annually.
Sources said that instead of heeding to his recommendations, the government continued to protect officers of grades 17 to 22 while laying off employees of grades 1 to 16.
According sources, Dr Bengali’s committees reviewed 70 government institutions and 17 enterprises, proposing the closure of 17 divisions and 50 departments to reduce costs. However, his proposals were not implemented, which compelled him to tender resignation.
Economist Ashfaq Tola, who has experience working with the federal government, said that Dr Jahanzeb’s appointment created governance issues. He explained that previously, the planning minister held the deputy chairman portfolio but this time around, Ahsan Iqbal did not have this charge, it took a toll on decision-making in the planning ministry.
Tola supported the decision to remove Dr Jahanzeb, stating that Ahsan Iqbal would now be able to work more effectively with full powers.
Regarding Dr Qaiser Bengali’s resignation, Tola urged the need to investigate whether the government was targeting junior employees under the guise of right-sizing and austerity measures. He stressed that the committees formed for austerity would only be effective if their recommendations were taken seriously.
Analyst Majid Nizami thought Dr Jahanzeb’s resignation a routine government matter, noting that in disputes between ministers and secretaries, ministers usually prevail.
Since Ahsan Iqbal is a senior federal minister, his objections were heard, he said.
Talking about Dr Qaiser Bengali’s resignation, he said that Bengali’s unique economic ideas were often difficult for political governments to implement.
“Bengali’s proposals, aimed at bringing lasting improvements to the economy, were not possible for political governments to implement,” he said.