Moin Qureshi becomes caretaker Prime Minister [1993]

Moin Qureshi was appointed caretaker Prime Minister in July 1993

On May 26, 1993, the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared the presidential order of assemblies’ dissolution as ultra-vires and ruled for restoring the Nawaz government and the National Assembly. On July 19, 1993, the President, Ghulam Ishaq Khan and the Prime Minister, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif resigned, thus dissolving all the Central and Provincial Assemblies.

Moin Qureshi, a top World Bank official was appointed the caretaker Prime Minister, and Ghulam Ishaq Khan was appointed the caretaker President. Moin Qureshi at the time of his appointment was totally unknown in Pakistan; it was therefore felt that as he was a political outsider he would remain neutral.

Despite the fact the Moin Qureshi was new to the economic and political problems of Pakistan, he made his presence felt during his short tenure of ninety days. During this short period of time he undertook numerous steps, which were appreciated by the general public. One of such steps included his effort to expose the misdeeds of the previous governments by publishing the lists of defaulters of bank loans and taxpayers. These lists exposed a number of affluent persons who were involved in abusing the banking system and dodging the tax collectors. Moin Qureshi made the State Bank of Pakistan an autonomous body with an effort to keep out political interference in the working of the bank. He took numerous other steps including the imposition of a nominal tax on agriculture, making Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan autonomous, downsizing of the administrative machinery and abolishing the discretionary power of the Prime Minster and the Chief Minister’s of allotting residential plots. It goes to his credit that he undertook various endeavors in a short period of time and made a serious effort to recover government dues. The only blotch on Moin Qureshi’s tenure as PM was in his last days when he was accused of making a large number of promotions and other administrative decisions in favor of his relatives.