THE formation of another council for high-level decision-making raises some important questions. First among these is, why is there a need for such a council? The notification creating the National Development Council gives four functions to be focused on, while adding the caveat that others can be included later on. These functions are to “set policies and strategies for development” as well as “accelerated economic growth”, and “approve long-term planning for national and regional connectivity and provide guidelines for regional cooperation”.

There are two things worth noting about these terms of reference. First is their overlap with the functions of other existing councils. The National Economic Council, for example, pulls together senior leadership from around the government under the chairmanship of the prime minister precisely for matters such as these. Next is the Economic Advisory Council, which consists of specialised expertise drawn from academia and the private sector. And then, back in late December, we had an Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs with a very similar brief. Between these three, points one to four of the new development council’s functions are amply covered. It is worth wondering what is so different about this council that it is more likely to succeed — in the eyes of the rulers — where the others seem to have been found wanting. Perhaps it is in the composition.

The second thing to note is the open-ended description of the functions of the council. What exactly does “accelerated economic growth” mean here, especially in the context of the macroeconomic stabilisation process that the country is about to embark upon? And what sort of “planning” will be required for “national and regional connectivity”? The terms seem to point towards some kind of a hybrid task, including economic management and foreign relations, that the council is being prepared to discharge. And the language leaves the door open to further dilation of the functions, as well as the composition, of the council. It is difficult to escape the impression that the council is being brought in as some sort of national decision-making body to preside over all aspects of the government’s operations — from CPEC to taxation matters, trade and diplomacy. It is difficult to see why the need to notify such a council arose in the first place. The fact that the army chief will be part of it, and perhaps more uniformed individuals in the days to come, shows that the decisions to be taken there will require broad, horizontal input. The presence of the military on the council has elevated its importance, and thereby given rise to speculation as to its purpose. It will now be interesting to see how often the council meets, whether its agenda and decisions are shared with the public, and how it coordinates with other decision-making bodies of the federal government, especially the cabinet.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2019