The Pakistani Spectator

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is a homeopathic premier for sure, and he is aptly termed as PM of between Lahore and Multan. He even doesn’t have any say in the Islamabad, where his majestic PM House is standing so proudly but keels in front of the President House, from where everything sprouts.

Who decides and who devises the policies and who gives the approving or refusing node is pretty much clear to all but what is the purpose and role / tasks of the premier is vague and amorphous. To compound the confusion and what, in retrospect, was more telling was the strange lack of public interest. “Who cares? Anyway, no one takes him seriously,” is the common reaction when premier is mentioned.

Initially Premier Yousuf tried to break the shackles but the effort was too much for him and he knew that vultures were ready to take his seat. Shah Mehmood Qureshi and even Hussain Haqqani is always ready to do the job of premier for Zardari. So now Gilani is just happy to attend marriags and funerals. Affairs of the state are not his domain anymore, it seems more than likely. Either because he feels he need not or simply can’t be bothered.