Pakistan Searches For a ‘Qualified’ Prime Minister: Any Suggestions?

Posted on November 30, 2007
Filed Under >Adil Najam, Politics, Society
93 Comments
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Adil Najam

I found this full page ad in Dawn very interesting. And also very democratic. Maybe a national conversation does need to be held on who (or what qualities) makes for a good prime Minister?

DAWN ad searching for Prime Minister of Pakistan

(click picture to see a larger, more readable, image)

Do you have any ideas? Lets try to do this not on the basis of who can win, but who (or what qualities) should we want as our Prime Minister. At least as an intellectual exercise, and a national conversation, we should be able to get out of Benazir Bhutto v. Nawaz Sharif v. Pervaiz Elahi type of ‘pragmatic’ discussion into a discussion of what we really would like to see in a Prime Minister. Dawn’s set of criteria is a very good place to start.

So, folks, give us your ideas but please please please do not again repeat the same old slogans and naaras about why you don’t like who you don’t like. Lets try to focus this on who you like, and why. And even this is someone who has no real chance of winning, lets at least think about what qualities makes you wish that this person would win.

The ad gives these criteria for the person we should be looking for:

  • He should be bold in upholding the law without fear or favor, but his actions must be tempered by the heart.
  • He must be learned in teh art of policy making, but not lacking in mobilizing popular support for his policies.
  • He must be honest to a fault, but neither dull nor unimaginative as to be able to figure our white-collar crime.
  • He must deal with civil servants with firmness and retain an unerring belief in teh rule of law. He must allow a sense of participation around him so the Pakistani electorate is able to guide his thinking. He must shepard a nation of activists – not police a fold of huddled sheep.

One should note that they clarify: “This man or indeed woman could be completely unknown. Or it could be that astute and honest politician who long deserves recognition for integrity, competence, or even an ability to perform a deft Machiavellian maneuver.

93 responses to “Pakistan Searches For a ‘Qualified’ Prime Minister: Any Suggestions?”

  1. SH Kavi says:

    @AM
    The United States Congress passed the Tweenty-second amendment to ban third term presidency on March 21, 1947.[1] It was ratified by the requisite number of states on February 27, 1951 So, It was not 200 hundred year.

  2. Rafay Kashmiri says:

    Dear commentators,

    @there is a pub on GEO, you can consult

    “Istekhara markaz ” Prof Imam Din, on line.

    You might get some ideas about your candidates !!

  3. AM says:

    Benazir Bhutto:

  4. AM says:

    To quote Ahmed Quraishi:

    “Turkish President Abdullah Gull was not impressed. There was no Robert Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, or John McCain to receive him here. Not even Howard Dean. Just Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto, and Imran Khan. If our dear Turkish friend was expecting to meet towering statesmen, he was in for a surprise.

    According to the people accompanying Turkish President Abdullah Gul in the Pakistani capital yesterday, the Turkish leader was not very impressed after meeting the cream of the Pakistani political elite.

  5. legaleagle says:

    Nawaz sharif and BB have also sent their nomination papers as the perfect PM nominee to DAWN. The reason you ask?

    jai unj nai tay fer enj hi sai!
    (if not like that, then like this only!)

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