ISLAMABAD: Prime minister, Imran Khan, had brought in Dr Ishrat Hussain, a man with a vision to rightsize Baboos through reforms, in 2018. He was made advisor to the prime minister on institutional reforms and Austerity. His special task was to rehabilitate the public sector sick units and introduce reforms in bueaurocacy of this country.
Dr Ishrat Hussain, a former chief of State Bank of Pakistan, was tasked for rehabilitation of Railways, PIA, Steel Mills and dozens other sick public sector units which are bleeding for decades not years now.
In the past every government had declared public sector sick units as a big black hole that sucks hundreds of billions every year, but none made any serious attempt to stop this bleeding. Almost every government preferred over the years to inject hard -earned revenue I- e public money and let the public sector sick units bleed.
Pakistan Steel, Railways, PIA you name any titanic public sector unit its loss to national kitty is in billions .
Pakistan’s ruling elite is perhaps more concerned about their perks and privileges than impact of bleeding of the public sector units on the national economy and subsequently on the life of a common Pakistani who is told that the state cannot pay for social responsibilities like health, education and social security due to paucity of funds.
Imran Khan, who claims to bring ‘Tubdeli’ in the lives of Pakistanis, did make a positive move by inducting Dr ishrat Hussain in his team to revive sick units to stop loss to the national kitty and at the same time reform bueaurocacy.
Dr Ishrat Hussain did some job in the beginning as well. He divided the bueaurocracy into four groups (General , Economic, Social and Technical group) and got approval for implementation of his this reform at least for Secretariat Group.
Dr Ishrat Hussain, in one of the briefings informed to the prime minister division of bureaucracy into groups will enhance performance of the bureaucracy and make each of them a specialist in his/her respective area.
Though it was a nice idea, but it rang alarmed bells for the bueaurocracy as It developed impression that if the plan was implemented it will cut down its influence and authority.
With such biting impression, the bueaurocracy started to poison the prime minister against Dr Ishrat Hussain. It managed to make the prime minister so poisonous that PM began to snub Dr Ishrat Hussain publically.
NEWSMAN acknowledgeable source spoke on the issue in hand on the condition of anonymity when approached to find out cause behind Dr Ishrat Hussain’s resignation as advisor to PM. He said “I can recall the prime minister shouted at Dr Ishrat Hussain in important meetings more than once and a similar incident occurred recently that, in his views, made him (Dr Ishrat Hussain) dis-heart and finally made him to resign.
Dr Ishrat Hussain has resigned from his post, leaving his job half done. He has requested the prime minister to relieve him from September 1, 2021.
He (Dr Ishrat Hussain) had held the same position for the same job in Shaukat Aziz era also. At that time he was resisted by the bueaurocracy and finally made to resign leaving the job undone.
Dr Ishrat Hussain’s resignation has raised many glaring questions for the prime minister and his government. It also made the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) government’s agenda of reforms a big question mark.