THE scene appeared surreal as Asif Ali Zardari took oath as president just a few days after Shehbaz Sharif returned as the country’s prime minister. The two rivals are now tied in a marriage of convenience. The fragmented outcome of the elections has made it necessary for them to bury the hatchet. The new power-sharing arrangement illustrates the bizarreness of Pakistan’s politics. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

The tentativeness of the new arrangement is palpable, with the PPP opting to sit out of the government while occupying the top constitutional position. The 19-member federal cabinet represented by five allied parties that was sworn in this week constitutes mostly relics of the past, evoking little hope of change.

Notwithstanding the induction of a few technocrats, they are mainly familiar faces in the cabinet, who have been in and out of government over the past three decades. Most of them were also part of the previous PDM administration led by Shehbaz Sharif. What is most significant, however, is the appointment of a new finance minister, who is a reputed international banker. The induction of Muhammad Aurangzeb marks the virtual dethroning of Ishaq Dar as economic czar.

For many, the decision to dump Dar and choose a technocrat as finance minister shows that the prime minister is emerging from the shadow of his older brother Nawaz Sharif. It is certainly a good omen for an economy in dire straits. Yet, the challenges for the new incumbent will be daunting. The country needs major structural reforms........

© Dawn