Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s special assistant Huzaifa Rehman has compared the premier’s intelligence to that of scientist Isaac Newton, saying he often tells the prime minister that his IQ is close to Newton’s.
Speaking about the prime minister’s working style and cabinet members, Huzaifa Rehman said Shehbaz Sharif works from 6am until 10pm and holds a federal cabinet meeting every week.
He said the prime minister cannot tolerate corruption or incompetence and does not allow incompetent or corrupt people to remain close to him. If a minister’s performance is not satisfactory, he cannot expect to remain in the prime minister’s close circle, he added.
Huzaifa Rehman was responding to complaints by Qaiser Sheikh, who has said in media interviews that the prime minister does not give him time for a meeting.
He said any federal or provincial cabinet member facing an issue should raise it at the cabinet forum. Qaiser Sheikh previously served as maritime affairs minister before being moved to the privatisation ministry, and his work in the new portfolio was also discussed in the cabinet, he added.
The special assistant said Qaiser Sheikh was a senior figure and remarked that people above the age of 70 often have such grievances. He also referred to the age of PTI founder Imran Khan, who is also above 70.
Huzaifa Rehman further said Shehbaz Sharif sets a high standard for competence. He claimed that if the prime minister had his way, he would remove 52 or 53 of the 55 ministers in the cabinet.
“I often tell the prime minister that his IQ is close to Newton’s,” he said, adding jokingly that he believed he would remain in the cabinet because his own IQ was almost as close to the prime minister’s.
Addressing criticism from federal minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Huzaifa Rehman said Salik belonged to an allied political party and it was natural for coalition partners to express reservations or criticise government decisions.
He said criticism by an allied party member should not be seen as criticism from within the government. He also described Chaudhry Salik Hussain as an honest person against whom there were no corruption allegations.
Speaking about Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Huzaifa Rehman said she had ensured merit in the province. He said political figures often expect their preferred candidates to be appointed as deputy commissioners or tehsildars, but Maryam Nawaz had set a policy that appointments would be made strictly on merit.
He added that allied parties often had higher expectations from the government and could raise objections over different matters.
