Federal Cabinet of Pakistan: Role in Policy Formulation, 1993-1999

Abstract

This paper examines the functioning of the federal cabinet Pakistan from 1993 to 1999. It investigates how the Cabinet was involved in designing economic and foreign policy. It analyzes that the elected governments during the said period were not independent in taking decisions in a lot of foreign policy issues or in designing policy related to foreign concerns of Pakistan. However, like first term of both the Prime Ministers (PMs), the Cabinet enjoyed privilege to formulate policy on economic aspects. The study seeks that the performance of the cabinet varied during regimes of both the PMs. Cabinet tried to revive its status during second regime of Benazir Bhutto but again was not successful as either establishment on foreign policy formulation or PM secretariat on economic policy-formulation remained seat of decision-making. Secondly, coalition partners of the regime also made it difficult to give approval to the plans, not suited to them. Whereas PM Nawaz Sharif was also more interested to take decisions on his own or with the involvement of his inner circle on economic policy formulation in place of giving decision-making power to the Cabinet. The study explores that the elected governments can work in a better way and system of democracy strengthens in case Federal cabinet is given its due status and share in power. Printed primary sources including biographies and autobiographies of PMs and Ministers, published interviews of various ministers, newspapers besides a number of secondary sources have been consulted to build the argument in this study. Analytical and comparative methods have been adopted to reach to the conclusions.