ISLAMABAD: At a time when the country is virtually at war, the entire political leadership - both from the treasury and opposition camps - is out of the country, leaving the government and the political parties in the hands of second-tier leaders.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif along with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday night left for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and spend the last part of Ramazan there. Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal is already in Saudi Arabia for Aitekaf.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari is in Dubai along with his children. Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in the recent past has regularly visited London.

Mr Khan only returned from his latest sojourn to UK on Monday morning. According to PTI spokesperson Dr Shireen Mazari, Mr Khan was in Britain to attend fundraisers for his welfare organisations and participate in a few other events.

PM Nawaz Sharif, ex-president Zardari and JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman are abroad

Maulana Fazlur Rehman of the JUI-F has also gone to Saudi Arabia.

Opposition party leaders can get away with the criticism for their absence though in an established democracy it would be difficult for them to remain out of the scene when the country was facing difficult times.

The prime minister, according to his media office, will spend six nights in Saudi Arabia.

In normal times all over the world, leaders go on annual leave but Pakistan is faced with a volatile situation today, especially after the launching of the North Waziristan military operation, which has resulted in the displacement of nearly one million people.

It seems the civilian government has left everything regarding Zarb-i-Azb at the mercy of the military establishment.

Nawaz Sharif to leave for Saudi Arabia

According to sources in the ruling party, the prime minister, since his exile days in Saudi Arabia, has developed the habit of spending the last 10 days of Ramazan in Makkah and Medina. Last year, the government moved the Supreme Court to reschedule the presidential election from August 6 to July 30 so that the prime minister and other members of the cabinet could spend time in Saudi Arabia.

In parliamentary form of government, it’s the collective responsibility of the federal cabinet to run the country. Hence, the absence of the prime minister doesn’t create any legal issue, said a sitting member of the PML-N, who didn’t want to speak on record.

However, he agreed that considering the severity of the crisis at home, this year the prime minister should have opted to stay in the country.

At the same time, the general public, including some former high-ranking officials, have reacted to the prime minister’s extended stay in Saudi Arabia.

Former navel chief and chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Fasih Bokhari tweeted: “Where is the National Command Authority [headed by the prime minister]? Out of touch with Strategic Plans Division for 10 days! Strategic irresponsibility not acceptable.”

Zardari to have Iftar with US vice president

Dr Rasool Bakhsh Rais, a known political analyst, said: “It’s very sad that at a time when the country is facing such a challenging time, the prime minister as the chief executive of the country is mixing up his personal religious obligations with the state responsibilities which is absolutely unheard of.”

He added: “I personally believe one can become dearer to God by serving humanity.”

When asked, Farhatullah Babar, the spokesperson for former president Zardari, said leader of the opposition Syed Khurshid Shah and other senior party leaders were present in the country and affectively handling whatever issues the party was confronted with.

Moreover, he added, Mr Zardari had directed the entire rank and file of the party to reach out to the IDPs.

Despite repeated attempts, the JUI-F spokesperson could not be contacted to seek explanation about the nature of the party chief’s visit to Saudi Arabia.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd , 2014