So Shaukat comes to pakistan, leaving his already teetering career at citigroup (because o the asendency of Chuck Prince) to join the Govt. of Pakistan. And for the most part, the going has been good. He's drafted in Ishrat hussein of the SBP from ADB and brought about considerable reulatory reform, especially with a stronger SECP- which has finally introduced COT and banished the evil of badla.
But a more robust regulatory framework aside, there has been worrying news on the Shaukat front of late, first the freeriding umra trip where everybody and his uncle was treated to an all-expenses paid jet-off to Saudi, compliments of us, improvereshed taxpayers.
As
Cowasjee puts it:
A further presumption was that he would roll up his sleeves and get down to work so as to do something about President Musharraf's programme of poverty alleviation, his intent to improve the law and order situation, and generally clean up the national mess. We did not expect him to travel around the country wearing funny hats, inaugurating this that and the other, laying foundation stones for irrelevant projects, presenting plastic plaques to the unworthy, and in the process inconveniencing the citizens of the major cities of the country with the inefficient security arrangements with which he is surrounded.
And we certainly did not expect this man of finance to do as others do and rob the exchequer by going off to perform Umra accompanied by 49 freeloaders, who like him are all perfectly capable of paying their own way rather than sponging off the country.
As if that was not all, in the 14th Feb. Neewsweek, he responds to Pakistan's involvement in an attack on Iran as almost a possibility. Times as they are now, with Baluchistan flaring up, this in my opinion is quite the irresponsible thing to say, in the very least she should have been adamant that Pakistan would not support a military intervention, regardless of whether it would or not.
There are reports that your country would help the United States in a strike against Iran in exchange for Washington's ceasing to pressure Pakistan about Khan. Is this so?
I will be in Iran soon, and Pakistan could have a role to play. Our view is, we should try to settle the issue peacefully through dialogue and discussions.
Do you see a nuclear Iran as a threat?
We don't want any more proliferation.
It seems relations with Iran are souring (again) in line with hostility in the ME against Iran, i wonder how this would ever help us fill the gas shortfall..