ISLAMABAD: It seems that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has woken up to the governance issues that have been plaguing his third stint in office. The head of government has ordered all cabinet members to prepare their own departmental performance reports, detailing all the work they have done since taking charge in June last year.

In a written directive, Mr Sharif asked ministers to prepare briefs on their ministries and departments, explaining whether they have been able to achieve certain targets that were set for them, over the past 16 months.

The ministerial progress reports, according to the orders issued by the PM’s Office, should address these basic queries: the extent to which they (the ministers) have implemented the party’s manifesto; steps taken for public welfare; a roadmap for the future; and, reforms initiated under their leadership.

The PM has also convened a special cabinet meeting on Oct 28 “for the review (of) all ministers and the meeting will continue until (the) completion of this exercise”. For political input, this special sitting of the cabinet will also be attended by party chairman Raja Zafarul Haq and Secretary General Iqbal Zafar Jhagra.

The PM’s Office has already completed its own in-house performance audit. The ministerial progress reports will now be scrutinised in the light of the PM Office’s findings to establish whether ministers’ performance was up to the mark or not. This exercise, insiders say, may be followed by a cabinet reshuffle.

For many, Nawaz Sharif’s decision to hold members of his cabinet accountable is no doubt motivated by the relentless criticism being hurled at them by the protesting Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. Ever since they have been camped out on D-Chowk, Mr Khan has taken the government to task every day for everything from unprecedented hikes in gas and electricity prices to corruption and wrongdoing in official business.

Talking to Dawn, a PML-N minister accepted that governments can no longer hide their failures. Gone are the days when a regime’s dirty laundry was only discovered by their successors, he said.

“In this age of 24/7 media coverage, it is almost impossible to stay in power without delivering. One mistake and the media will ruin your image. We have, therefore, decided to conduct annual performance audits and come what may, those who do not perform will have to go,” the minister said.

When asked if the prime minister had made up his mind on changes in the cabinet, the minister said that the special cabinet sitting had been called for this very purpose, where the PM would decide who to axe and who to keep.

However, sceptics are asking whether this exercise will unseat Abid Sher Ali and Khawaja Asif, the state and federal ministers, respectively, of the Water and Power ministry, which has committed quite a few blunders over the past year. The young Mr Ali is a nephew to the prime minister, while Mr Asif is a party heavyweight.

Talking to Dawn, a federal secretary confirmed they had already sent in their reports to the PM’s Office and the ball was now in the PM’s court to decide who would stay on his cabinet and who would have to go.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2014