Cabinet expansion in political governments is a complex political issue. Every member of parliament is eligible to join the cabinet and he wishes to somehow get a ministerial portfolio, to be of use to the people of his constituency and to increase his own status. It is the dream of politicians to have the national flag on their car. The recent expansion in the federal cabinet has increased the political color of the government. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has also become stronger. He has come into a better political position than before by including many of his loyalists in the cabinet, but along with this better position, this expansion will give rise to many new conflicts and its effects will be felt far and wide.

The biggest controversy that is likely to emerge is the inclusion of former Chief Minister and former right-hand man of Imran Khan, Pervez Khattak, as the advisor on interior. Pervez Khattak is close to Muqtadara and it has also been reported that the first condition for his inclusion in the cabinet was that he be made an advisor on interior affairs. Talal Chaudhry was formally consulted with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on his participation in the cabinet as a Minister of State, but he must have been informed about Pervez Khattak, but neither was he consulted nor was there any formal discussion on the division of powers between him and Pervez Khattak. The Interior Minister also has a grudge against the PML-N leadership that a federal minister and several ministers of the Punjab government criticize him by taking his name and the PML-N leadership does not stop him from doing so. Muqtadara may be able to bridge this deep gap, but this matter may go beyond Mohsin Naqvi’s displeasure. Apparently, Mohsin Naqvi had previously agreed to become the interior minister on the condition that he would also remain the head of the cricket board. He may now resign from the ministry. If this happens, it will create the impression of differences within the government and the first crack in the political government.

With Pervez Khattak getting a post at the center, alternative arrangements are being prepared for Ali Amin Gandapur and Pakhtunkhwa. After the previous sit-in, a clear message was given to Ali Amin Gandapur that if Gandapur now takes a procession from Pakhtunkhwa and leaves the province, then his government will no longer exist. According to my estimation, work has started on this scheme and Pervez Khattak will come to the Home Affairs Department and do this work with the cooperation of the police and agencies.

The biggest tragedy of the Shahbaz government is the lack of a political narrative. The narrative of economic development is being discussed a lot, but it has not yet been able to make any significant dent in the political fortress of the PTI. This priority is not visible at all in the recent expansion of the cabinet. Attaullah Tarar is trying his best, but the narrative is not the only matter for any minister. Mosaddeq Malik is a logical voice, but he has been pushed into the weather, Huzaifa Rehman has been included in the cabinet, but it remains to be seen how effective he will be in creating a narrative. Making Abdul Rehman, who is a decisive political force in his district, a minister of state instead of a full minister is tantamount to injustice to him. Similarly, making a senior politician like Malik Rashid from Kasur a minister of state will not add any new diamond to his collection. Age and experience are not taken into account in the expansion. Youth has been encouraged by giving senior positions to the young, but experience has been discouraged and the feeling of becoming old with increasing age has been ignored. Junaid Anwar belongs to Toba Tek Singh and was given the ministry related to the maritime areas of Karachi, which is completely unrelated to him. Muttahida Qasim leader Mustafa Kamal, who had earned a name for himself in the development of Karachi and the promotion of information technology, has been given the health ministry, although the health department has been transferred to the provinces. Now he will not be able to do anything except making health policies. It would have been better if he had been given information technology considering his experience.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has been taken from Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s son Salik Hussain and given to Sardar Yousaf again. Salik Hussain had the additional charge of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in addition to Overseas. During this interim responsibility, Salik quietly took important and public decisions regarding Hajj. He is very shy and therefore has never been able to explain his achievements himself. Sardar Yousaf is an old associate of (P) and has previously headed the Ministry of Religious Affairs, but in the previous period, Pir of Bhera Amin al-Husnat could not run with him as a Minister of State and finally, Noon’s old associate, Pir Noon, left and joined the Tehreek-e-Insaf. It is a different matter that the Bharath family won that seat again and put Noon in the swing, that is why one federal and one provincial ministry have come to the same Bharath family.

Talal Chaudhry’s entry into the cabinet from Faisalabad is an encroachment on Rana Sanaullah’s unlimited powers because now the internal battle of the PML-N in Faisalabad has changed from Chaudhry Sher Ali vs. Rana Sanaullah to Talal Chaudhry vs. Rana Sanaullah. Currently, Rana Sanaullah has a very heavy burden, but Talal Chaudhry is trying to strengthen his position by moving here and there.

The Non-Aligned Movement is currently in its honeymoon phase, its party organization has become very weak, its vote bank has also been shattered. On the other hand, the vote bank of the PTI is very strong, although the connection between its organization and the vote bank is non-existent. The real test of Non-Aligned Movement will be after the honeymoon period ends and the pressure on PTI is lifted. If Non-Aligned Movement fails to create a narrative and only tries to sell an economic agenda, then its fate will be like that of the PML-Q.