ISLAMABAD: In an unprecedented move, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi just hours before the announcement of the federal budget on Friday appointed his adviser on finance, revenue and economic affairs Miftah Ismail as a federal minister, making it possible for the unelected leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz to present the country’s budget for the next financial year.

PM Abbasi also upgraded three ministers of state Marriyum Aurangzeb, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Anusha Rehman, who were holding portfolios of Information and Broadcast, Capital Administration Development Division (CADD) and Information Technology (IT), respectively, giving them the status of federal ministers. Another MNA of the ruling PML-N, Laila Khan, was inducted in the cabinet as a minister of state.

The cabinet expansion at a time when the government is about to complete its five-year term drew criticism from the two major opposition parties, Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Adviser Miftah Ismail made unelected federal minister, three state ministers upgraded

The unelected finance minister succeeded Ishaq Dar who has been in London since October 2017 for his medical treatment and declared absconder by an accountability court in a corruption reference.

Two separate oath-taking ceremonies took place in the presidency. In the first ceremony, President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath to Mr Ismail while in the second one to the four other leaders of the PML-N.

PM Abbasi appointed Mr Ismail apparently because the government wanted him to present the budget for the financial year 2018-19. However, political analysts are questioning the move of upgrading the three state ministers and the induction of another member in the cabinet at a time when government term is about to end in a month’s time.

Some believe the ministers had been rewarded apparently for their media fight for the supreme leader of the party, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who had been disqualified by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in Panama Papers case last year.

The government appointed Mr Ismail as federal minister under Article 91 of the Constitution that allows prime minister to appoint a non-elected person as federal minister for six months during which he is required to get elected as a member of parliament.

Article 91 (9) of the Constitution says: “A minister who for any period of six consecutive months is not a member of the National Assembly shall, at the expiration of that period, cease to be a minister and shall not before the dissolution of that assembly be again appointed a minister unless he is elected a member of that assembly.”

While unelected persons had been inducted in the cabinet as advisers and special assistants to the prime minister in the past, it has never been observed that a government used the constitutional provision to appoint an unelected person as federal minister.

The appointment seemed to be a last-minute decision as the title page of the budget speech, distributed among the lawmakers, carried Mr Ismail’s name as adviser to the prime minister. The appointment recommended by PM Abbasi and approved by President Mamnoon Hussain soon afterwards was criticised by the opposition parties for what they called “unnecessarily” expanding the cabinet.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah and Vice Chairman of the PTI Shah Mehmood Qureshi lambasted the government in the National Assembly for its decision to present a budget through the unelected minister.

Defending his decision, PM Abbasi argued that Dr Ismail played a lead role in the preparation of the budget and therefore, “it is his right to announce it”.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2018