Rumors of Ahsan Iqbal considering resigning from the ministry, what is the reason?
Islamabad: For the past few days, there have been rumors on the media and social media that Federal Minister for Planning Commission Ahsan Iqbal, who belongs to Non-League, has resigned due to differences with Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Jahanzeb Khan.
Sources close to the federal minister claim that he is not resigning, but if the minister is not given a free hand and the interference continues, he will leave the ministry and is ready to accept another position in the government.
When contacted, Dr. Jahanzeb Khan said that 'in this difficult time, the country needs unity of thought, there is no difference, we are all working together for economic recovery and the betterment of the common people'. However, he did not comment on the various issues pointed out to him.
Political observers in Islamabad say that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is surrounded by a separate team brought by him from Lahore, all members of this team are technocrats with no political affiliation.
Moreover, Shahbaz Sharif has removed Nawaz Sharif's team in the federal cabinet and made his own team which is making decisions. Most of the members of Nawaz Sharif's cabinet are already out of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's team while those joining the current setup are not getting the enjoyment they enjoyed earlier. However, sources in the Prime Minister's office reject the impression of sidelining Nawaz Sharif's team.
Apart from political reasons, there are many factors and obstacles behind the rumors of Ahsan Iqbal's resignation.
The first reason why Ahsan Iqbal is considering resigning is that there is an obstacle in smooth decision-making in the ministry. Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Planning and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Jahanzeb Khan differ in their approach to economic planning.
According to sources, Jahanzeb Khan believes in running the commission in a traditional bureaucratic manner, relying entirely on a group of economists within the ministry. In contrast, Ahsan Iqbal believes in inclusive governance, involving external experts and engaging with relevant stakeholders, industry and academia. All these play an important role in economic development. Two different approaches are causing delay in decision-making.
Sources say that the second reason is that Ahsan Iqbal wants to link the 13th five-year plan (2024-2029) with the strategic roadmap of the 5Es framework. The framework proposes long and short-term solutions to improve the country's sluggish economy and increase the country's economic portfolio to one trillion dollars by 2035. For this purpose a detailed strategy "Outlook 2035" was formulated, which presents an unconventional approach to economic planning.
On the other hand, the attitude of the Deputy Chairman of the Commission is traditional and he wants to run the Commission on an annual and five-year planning process.
Sources claim that the approach of the Deputy Chairman is contrary to Ahsan Iqbal's proposal as he believes that traditional methods have never yielded concrete results for the current governments. As a result, Pakistan has always had to seek help and guidance from the IMF and the World Bank, which has proved disastrous in the long run.
According to sources, the third reason is that the Planning Commission Minister wants to improve the functioning of the Planning Commission and build its capacity to adapt to international institutions by learning from experiences and economic models. However, the Deputy Chairman is not convinced of these reforms, preferring to focus on improving governance within the existing framework by relying entirely on existing structures and human resources.
The fourth reason is that during the finalization of the 13th five-year plan, the PDM government's 26 months of preparation of the 5Es framework and Outlook 2035 all the fourth reason is that the 13th five-year plan is being finalized. During the 26 months of the PDM government, all efforts to prepare the 5Es Framework and Outlook 2035 were ignored.
Sources claim that the plan is not consistent with any of the aforementioned strategic documents, the current deputy chairman of the Planning Commission (which finalized the 13th Five-Year Plan with the help of the Economist Group and the ministry's administration during the interim government). did not consult Minister Ahsan Iqbal after the February 2024 general elections.
Despite the insistence of Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal to align with the political government's strategic plans and studies, the Deputy Chairman got the approval without consulting the National Economic Council (NEC).
According to the minister's public statements, the plan was not consulted before the NEC and the Prime Minister were submitted for approval. He believed that instead of trying to stabilize the economy and improve the country's economic portfolio on a sustainable basis, it was necessary to give full ownership to the political regime.
The fifth reason is that Ahsan Iqbal is of the opinion that the existing structure of the Planning Commission needs reforms and a complete overhaul.
Sources said he is holding regular brainstorming sessions with the Economist Group, sector leaders, and experts from various fields within the ministry. Recently, a strategic effort was made to establish a National Economic Transformation Unit (NETU) in the Ministry.
This unit will help the government in implementing economic policies and improving the overall strategy for achieving economic goals. The objective of the National Economic Transformation Unit is to bring out the possibilities of the development initiatives of the Government of Pakistan through strategic communication. The roadmap outlines 11 key activities to promote development, engage stakeholders and promote dialogue for national development. Leveraging this roadmap, the government will promote inclusive growth and create a brighter future for all.
Sources claim that if the differences between the Minister and the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission are not resolved, the economic policy making process of the government may be affected for a long time.