A persistent problem for cash-strapped Pakistan is the immense sizes of federal cabinets, placing undue burden on the national exchequer. The tenure of ousted prime minister Imran Khan saw a federal cabinet whose size exceeded 50 members for several months, while the cabinet of Yousaf Raza Gilani was an at-the-time staggering 66 lawmakers. Neither of these came close to the cabinet of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which comprises 34 federal ministers, seven ministers of state, four advisers to the prime minister and 39 special assistants, making it the largest cabinet since Pakistan formed post-Partition in 1947.
Article 92 of the Constitution mandates that the total strength of the cabinet should not exceed 11 percent of the total membership of Parliament, including the Senate, or 49 members. Similarly, Article 93 explicitly restricts to five the number of unelected aides the prime minister can appoint. The current cabinet is far in excess of these numbers, factoring in a coalition of 13 parties that must all be “obliged” to keep them pacified. Each cabinet member enjoys significant perks and privileges, all paid for by the people of Pakistan, even as the country runs pillar-to-post to secure loans to avert default. Especially galling is the presence of over 20 members of the incumbent cabinet who have no portfolios—i.e. no official jobs—but still enjoy official security details and offices and staff.
Taking cognizance of the growing public anger over the government’s calls for belt-tightening even as its size continues to grow, P.M. Sharif in February directed ministers and advisers to fly economy class, forgo luxury cars and salaries, and pay their own utility bills in a bid to save the government Rs. 200 billion rupees a year. This isn’t enough. Any government must lead the charge before urging the public to learn to “live within their means.” With general elections due later this year, it is high time that whichever political party assumes power commits to a lean cabinet that does not place undue burden on the national exchequer. If they cannot lead by example, they have no business leading a country where a majority of citizens is struggling to eat even two meals a day amidst crippling inflation and a loss of purchasing power bolstered by massive currency devaluation.