Even more intriguing is the fact that while senior appointments have already been made on key bureaucratic positions by the Yusuf Raza Gilani administration, no change has taken place yet in the interior and the law ministries which have to serve as the executive arms with critical roles to play for the new administration. In fact, without a change in this setup nothing on the ground would change. When will the new administration start taking control of vital organs of the state which matter in implementing critical policies? So far, all old incumbents of the previous regime continue to enjoy their positions and are very comfortable with Mr Rehman Malik and the new setup. Does it raise any red flags anywhere in the coalition?

Similarly an impression is fast gaining ground that 1988-type secret conditions are being imposed by the establishment, still being dictated by President Musharraf, to plant dependable players to shadow and monitor the ministries and policy-making institutions which serve the interests of the security and military establishment.

Reports that the outgoing Pakistan ambassador in Washington, a retired major general who was the direct conduit between Mr Musharraf and Washington DC, will now be placed as the prime minister's national security adviser, lend strong credibility to the perception that the PPP-led coalition has agreed to some such conditions before it was allowed to take over the administration. In 1988 a young and inexperienced Benazir Bhutto was forced to accept Sahibzada Yaqoob Khan, VA Jaffarey and many others as the establishment's nominees in her government to ensure continuity and keep a watch. She paid a heavy price for accepting such derogatory conditions. Is there any such deal this time around as well?

It has to be remembered that 2008 is not 1988 and the PPP-led government is not in a position to make any deal unless the other coalition partners, and the people, are taken into confidence. What must immediately be done is that all the discredited functionaries of the old regime including Malik Qayyum, senior officials of the interior ministry, heads of all law enforcement and intelligence agencies under the civilian government must be immediately replaced with men of integrity who can be trusted by the people who voted the new government into power. Any attempt to insult their intelligence will not work.
The End