General Musharraf's House of Cards Starts to Crumble: Major Changes Imminent
By Maryam Hussain

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Jamali and General Musharraf have practically said their goodbyes at a meeting last week and Islamabad is now abuzz with reports that a major change was imminent, within days, with Aftab Khan Sherpao and Shaukat Aziz running as favorites.

Jamali finally broke his silence before the all powerful President, when his government was accused of failure to govern and run the Parliament smoothly. But it unfortunately was his last gasp for oxygen before he drowns midstream under his own weight.

As Jamali left for a 4-day visit to Saudi Arabia, the only country he was allowed to travel by Musharraf during his tenure, key members of his personal staff started to move out of the PM Secretariat, sensing that the ship was sinking. Brigadier Mansoor, Jamali's special Assistant sought a 4-month leave while two of his personal staff have also gone.

The crucial meeting called by General Musharraf and his 40 MNAs, laid down the contours of the next political act in which Musharraf and Jamali cannot co-exist as both have blamed each other for the failure of the system. But analysts say when Jamali goes down, he will take a big chunk of Musharraf’s political capital with him.

The PM’s troubles got worse when Jamali’s coalition party managers disowned him before the President with Chaudhry Wajahat saying they were looking up to the President for guidance and no one else. The message was clear. Let Mr. Jamali say his prayers in the Holy Land and then he fades out.

Shaukat Aziz and Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao are being tipped as the likely replacement for the toothless and clueless chief executive from Balochistan. Because Shaukat Aziz is not member of the National Assembly, NWFP’s Aftab Sherpao is emerging as the new prime ministerial horse.

A very senior minister in the Jamali cabinet confirmed to the South Asia Tribune that Jamali would not be able to reshuffle his cabinet and would be replaced before that. The minister simply laughed when asked about the change and said: “Do you really think that Jamali would survive for the reshuffle.”

Asked to explain his shocking disclosure, he said Jamali had lost his utility in the eyes of powers that be. “Jamali has lost everything. He does not enjoy support in PML-Q nor is now acceptable to the President.”

Jamali is partly responsible for his plight. He lacked the political wisdom and cunning to maneuver his way in a maze. He failed to cash on the breakup of MMA with ARD over the LFO. But he is only partly to be blamed.

He was trying hard to swallow the insults which Musharraf and the Gujrat Choudhries were heaping on him for the last many months. He had been asked to win over the Opposition when practically he had no powers and no room to make any deal. Musharraf was as firm and inflexible as day one. So Jamali cannot be blamed for the breakdown. Yet he took it for so long.

Last week he decided enough was enough. Jamali lost his temper at the meeting of Musharraf and his 40 MNAs and said all those things he wanted to say. Many MNAs also opened up confronting Musharraf for the first time.

The punch line came when Jamali blamed Musharraf for running away from the Joint Session of Parliament which he said had “doomed” the Parliament.

“What are you talking about”, a shocked Musharraf quipped. But his looks made it clear that he was through with this prime minister. After the exchange, Musharraf did not bother to have the cup of tea with the PM over which he had invited all these “guests”. Reports said Jamali was seen taking his tea alone in a corner, by himself.

Jamali was under the impression that it was a smart move to pressure Musharraf on running away from Parliament. He reminded the President that he was not following his constitutional obligations. In other words Musharraf had violated the constitution.

The move would have worked if President had decided to address the parliament. He would then be depending totally on the support and sympathies of ruling party. But Musharraf did not buy it as he knew that Jamali could not deliver.

The Prime Minister also annoyed his coalition partners. The shocking outburst came when he told the President that his ministers were not able to handle even their secretaries who were not ready to accept their orders. Jamali ridiculed the ministers picked up by Musharraf.

This was in reply to Musharraf’s criticism on the performance of Jamali during the last ten months. Jamali’s defence was clear that he was trying to stand up against the Opposition while Musharraf’s hand picked ministers were not even able to confront their secretaries.
Before this hard talk in the Presidency, Jamali had told the President how he was insulted by his own ministers in the federal cabinet. He had specifically named Faisal Saleh Hayat who always behaved rudely used to pass sarcastic remarks during cabinet meetings in front of all the ministers.

Another minister who insulted Jamali was Yar Mohammad Rind of Farooq Leghari’s party. This sardar from Balochistan never stood up to show respect for Jamali in cabinet meetings. His logic was simple.

Rind says Jamali is not a Sardars or chieftain. He belongs to a lesser cast of Balochs and he would not show respect to a man who is less important and less respectful in his home province. The Rind tribe is more powerful and respected in Balochistan.

Jamali also tried to convey to the President that he was helpless in running the government in the presence of ministers who were imposed by the Presidency. Reports about corruption of sitting ministers including Awais Leghari, Liaqat Jatoi, Abdul Sattar Lalika, Nourez Shakoor and Faisal Saleh Hayat were also worrying the PM.

Former federal minister Khalid Ranjha, who is still hopeful of getting the slot of the Law Minister, was also unhappy with Musharraf’s decision to promulgate yet another ordinance with regard to contempt of court.

The ordinance envisaging more punishments and powers for the judiciary was brought to deter the defiant Opposition parties which had started to challenge the powers of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to authorize President Musharraf to amend the constitution.

Ranjha was of the view that when the parliament was functioning it might have been better for President to make such laws by getting them passed from the parliament. He told the President that this might have not gone well in the constitutional and legal circles of the country and might have given wrong message to the people that parliament was a rubber stamp.

People’s Party Patriot Dr Sher Afgan questioned the President about his remarks calling the entire parliament as ‘uncivilized’ and raised the issue as to why Musharraf hesitated in addressing the Parliament.

Dr Afgan told the President that he should have not said all this about the parliament which was a sovereign and supreme body.

However, Senator Gulzar from NWFP, known for spending millions to buy his parliamentary seats, made a shocking offer to both President and Prime Minister. He told them that if they needed more MNAs to strengthen their position, he was ready to present a dozen of MNAs after buying their loyalties.

No one liked his offer at in a forum in which important political issues were being discussed