On April 28, Pakistan’s current Foreign Minister and staunch loyalist of Nawaz Sharif, Ishaq Dar, was appointed as the country’s new Deputy Prime Minister. Interestingly, Pakistan’s Constitution and Rules of Business do not include a provision for the designation of deputy prime minister. Furthermore, Dar’s appointment occurred while Prime Minister Shehbaz and Dar, along with other top leaders of the ruling government, were in Saudi Arabia attending the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) special meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy. Many individuals in Pakistan, including members of the political opposition, questioned the timing and urgency of the appointment. Dar’s elevation to the position of deputy prime minister underscores the ongoing power struggle between Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif regarding the inclusion of their political loyalists in the government.
Nawaz may exert pressure for additional appointments in the coming months. The name of former Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah is already doing rounds in the media for the position of special advisor in the interior ministry. These new political appointments are causing divisions within the coalition government, and Pakistan’s military establishment is not comfortable with Nawaz’s gradual inclusion of his loyalists. The establishment had opposed Dar’s appointment as finance minister due to concerns about his perceived track record of poor governance. Nawaz himself is not part of the current political setup in Islamabad, while the Army loyalist, Shehbaz Sharif, was reinstated as the prime minister of Pakistan. There are reports suggesting that Nawaz was dissatisfied with the political compromise during the government formation in February and intends to continue pressuring his younger brother on new appointments and specific government policies.
As deputy prime minister, Ishaq Dar will have the authority to make crucial decisions that could significantly influence finance, defense, and home affairs policies. Thus, his appointment carries more than just symbolic significance; it represents the Nawaz faction’s assertion of control over Pakistan. While the military may initially tolerate his role as deputy prime minister, viewing it as merely symbolic, potential conflicts could arise in the future. Dar might intentionally delay decisions favored by the military to assert his authority, leading to tensions. This situation could bring challenges for the Sharif government’s recent alignment with the military, potentially signaling some rifts going forward.
The critical question remains: for how long can the military establishment tolerate Nawaz’s interference in the government from the outside? The survival of the Shehbaz-led coalition government heavily relies on the support of the military. However, the establishment might not immediately look for an alternative to the current political arrangement. Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir is scheduled to retire in November 2025. He may look for an extension if he manages to bring in the political stability and improve Pakistan’s economic situation. It is noteworthy that Shehbaz Sharif was the prime minister in 2022 when General Munir was selected as Pakistan’s new Army chief despite massive pushback from Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and controversy over his retirement date. On the other hand, Nawaz Sharif has significantly burnt the bridges with the military in the recent years. Nonetheless, Nawaz looks determined to regain control from his brother, believing that he is the reason that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is part of the present government. It is true that Nawaz holds the majority people’s mandate, not his brother, which further underscores his desire for control.
As a result, PM Shehbaz will encounter challenges in maintaining the unity of the coalition government with Asif Ali Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Regarding Dar’s appointment as deputy prime minister, Imran Khan’s PTI remarked that the “Sharifs are distributing key national posts within the family.” One common critique of the decision is that while Pakistan faces severe economic challenges, the PML-N is busy in intra-party competition to increase its political influence within the government. It is worth noting that Dar is only the fourth deputy prime minister in Pakistan’s history. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) faced several legal cases after being appointed as deputy prime minister in 2012. Similarly, Dar is expected to confront similar charges in the coming weeks from opposition parties, especially the PTI.
Some analysts in Pakistan speculate that Dar may be aiming for the top post in the government. His appointment as deputy prime minister is viewed as a step in that direction. It has been reported that in the past, he approached former Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to consider him as a potential prime ministerial candidate following the controversial removal of the Nawaz Sharif government in 2017 due to the Panama Papers case.
Two months after the formation of the new government in Islamabad, Nawaz and his loyalists are actively seeking to increase their control in the country. Reports suggest that Nawaz is likely to be re-elected as the party president after 2017. In that case, Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, who is the chief minister of Punjab, will wield significant control over decision-making in PML-N. This will further erode the popularity of Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister of Pakistan and weaken the coalition government. The military establishment would once again intervene to clean the political mess created by the PML-N and prevent the government from collapsing.
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