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| August 22, 2005 | Monday | Rajab 16, 1426 |
Electioneering cripples ministries’ working
ISLAMABAD, Aug 21: Official work in most of the federal ministries has almost come to a standstill due to engagement of the ministers in the election campaign of their candidates in their respective constituencies.
Informed sources told Dawn on Saturday that businessmen, particularly exporters, who came to the capital from different parts of the country for solution of their business- related problems, found the economic and trade ministers absent from their offices.
Federal Textile Minister Mushtaq Ali Cheema, who was entrusted with the responsibility of an over $8 billion newly established textile industry to increase its production base and further facilitate the exporters, is not available in his office for the last one week.
The sources said the minister was busy in the local body elections in Faisalabad. President General Pervez Musharraf has reportedly asked all the ministers to ensure maximum seats for Pakistan Muslim League candidates in their respective constituencies.
An exporter told this reporter that the textile minister was away from his office running the campaign of the party candidates.
Another glaring miss was Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan, who has rarely visited his office during the last one week. He left for Lahore on Friday night to seek support for his party workers.
The sources said absence of the commerce minister from his office in these crucial days would not be a wise decision, as the country was going to host a very important meeting of the commerce ministers of the G-20 countries on September 9-10.
The meeting would be attended among others by ministers from China, India and Brazil to work out a future strategy for the forthcoming ministerial conference to be held in Hong Kong in December.
Federal Minister for Industries, Production and Special Initiatives Jehangir Khan Tareen is also busy in canvassing in Rahim Yar Khan, while there are serious production issues like the persistent rise in the price of cement, which needs to be brought down.
Federal Minister for Agriculture, Food and Livestock (Minfal) Sikandar Khan Bosan is also not available in the capital for the last one week.
The ministry was supposed to chalk out a comprehensive strategy in consultation with all stakeholders for the upcoming negotiations in G-20 meeting at the earliest.
Though the other ministers have been shuttling between the federal capital and their constituencies, they are not regularly attending their offices.
The federal cabinet meetings twice convened by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had to be cancelled in July due to unavailability of majority of ministers, the sources said.
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