Civil servant 'settles for demotion' to SAPM

Muhammad Shehzad Arbab, who was forced out of the federal cabinet for refusing to be demoted in a brutal cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Imran Khan, accepted demotion from adviser to the prime minister to special assistant on Saturday.

Well-placed sources privy to the development told Business Recorder that Arbab was reluctant to accept the post of special assistant to the prime minister in a recent Cabinet reshuffle, due to which he was removed as adviser to the prime minister.

However, sensing the aggressive stance of Prime Minister Khan who has warned to "boot out" all those involved in sugar and flour crises, Arbab - an experienced bureaucrat, according to sources, preferred a "demotion over permanently being thrown out of the power corridors."

"Yeah, he was reluctant to get the slot of special assistant [to the prime minister] as he was not ready to accept a demotion, but he was quick to understand that there was no room for people who say "no" to [PM] Khan," said a senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader on condition of anonymity.

Arbab was handpicked as adviser to the prime minister on establishment after the PTI emerged victorious in July 2018 general elections.

The source said that the pensioned influential civil servant was shocked, when he was removed as adviser in the recent cabinet reshuffle.

They said that he had already refused to be demoted to be special assistant to the prime minister, had to literally "beg" the powers through whom he managed to be appointed as advisor to the prime minister but this time around had to settle for "a tiny special assistant to the PM" in a bid stay in the dark power corridors.

With Shehzad's inclusion, the cabinet members have swelled to 48.

The cabinet comprises 18 unelected members, 25 federal ministers, and four state ministers.

The prime minister has five advisors and 14 special assistants. All five advisors to the premier, including 13 special assistants, are unelected.

About the status of advisors and special assistants to the prime minister, a senior PTI leader who also wished not to be named told Business Recorder that the Constitution clearly states that these advisers and special assistants should be the top brain who could assist the government in steering the country out of the crises.

He continued that in a country such as Pakistan, every political party including the PTI, handpicked their cronies and blue-eyed, who did nothing except enjoying the status and perks and privileges by holding those positions.

"The PTI, like other political parties is also fully promoting its cronies to further damage an already spoiled governance system. Before taking up all other austerity measures, the government should put a stop to appointing excessive advisors and special assistants," the PTI leader said.

Arbab could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts on his mobile phone.