Removal of Zafarullah Jamali from the office of prime minister had been on the cards for quite some time, but it was beyond anybody's imagination that he would be calling it a day within 24 hours of his most categorical assertion that he would stay.
He is believed to have received the order to resign around midnight, an hour or so after he had said goodbye to his dinner guests.
In fact, the establishment had made up its mind to show the door to Jamali soon after his Far East visit early this spring. During his sojourns in Hong Kong and other stations he had been 'unguarded' in his opinion about the 'military mind' and why foreign investment was shy of Pakistan. His comment on arrival back home that the uniform issue was settled and President Musharraf would follow the Constitution only hastened his departure from the corridors of power.
But the inability of the presidential quarters to find a suitable replacement for Jamali delayed his removal.
Chaudhry Shujaat, president of the main component of the ruling coalition, was the only potential option but he had refused to take up the job, firstly, because he was not keeping good health, and secondly the Chaudhry of Gujrat did not want to repeat what Sharifs had done when one brother became prime minister and the other chief minister of Punjab, which the Chaudhrys had resented.
As the PML president failed to present the next prime minister, a number of dark horses entered the field, the most ambitious among them being Humayun Akhtar. It is believed that he succeeded in garnering significant support in military circles and presidential aides. But Chaudhry Shujaat and other senior politicians refused to support him.
He being ditched, some other names, including those of Shauket Aziz and Zubaida Jalal, were floated but nobody took notice of them.
Meanwhile, President Musharraf started meeting the members to find out who could replace Jamali. Majority of his interlocutors is said to have pleaded for replacing Zafarullah Khan Jamali but they could not name a consensus candidate.
President Musharraf held another meeting with Shujaat and Chief Minister Pervaiz and tried to convince them that under the circumstances they should agree to Humayun Akhtar, but they differed with him.
Meanwhile, Shujaat got in touch with Hamid Nasir Chattha, a master of realpolitik, for advice on how to counter the pressure to accept Humayun Akhtar as prime minister. So, next time when the president asked Shujaat to accept Humayun Akhtar or name somebody who could muster majority support in the National Assembly, he offered himself for the job. The president could not say no to this offer.
'Is this an arrangement interim?' is the question being asked. Going by the latest statement of Chaudhry Shujaat, he would be holding the premier's office only till Shaukat Aziz is elected to the National Assembly--after resigning from the Senate--which is likely to take six to eight weeks. Shaukat Aziz is likely to contest election from an Okara seat to be vacated by former defence minister Sikander Iqbal who is tipped to be next Governor of Punjab.
As the new set-up is being put in place, an element of uncertainty lurks in the background stemming from the widely held belief that the entire system would be wrapped up before December when the country would have next general elections.
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