Fawad Chaudhry's gamble.

Fawad Chaudhry has an easy-going charm and a sharp wit. His candour is at display in interviews, and he often whips up a storm himself. Having hosted and participated in talk-shows over the past several years, he has learned the art of coming up with a punchy sound-byte without much effort. These traits were visible in his latest interview with the Voice of America. In a calm and calculated manner, Fawad laid bare the internal turmoil of the ruling political party. He incisively described how the grouping and infighting within the party has crippled the government.

Fawad heaped the blame on technocrats and unelected advisors who now surround Imran Khan. These elements managed to increase their sway not because of their ability or intelligence, he asserts. They simply filled a vacuum created by the grating power struggles between Jahangir Khan Tareen, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Asad Umar. Once these political bigwigs entangled themselves in a continuous turf war, the outsiders found a way in.

The minister for science and technology did not blame the unelected cabinet members of corruption and malfeasance. He simply stated that the unelected coterie of the prime minister has no stake in the game. These outsiders don't share Khan's passion or the urgency of his vision or the ticking clock or depleting public credibility. All the caveats of having a team without skin in the game have dented Khan's government's popularity and haemorrhaged its functioning. Fawad stated this uncomfortable truth in a simple, matter-of-fact manner. In many ways, his interview was a masterstroke in political messaging.

And, he seems to have gotten away with these verbal punches, just like the physical punches he threw at two of his TV critics. During the subsequent cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Khan did not rake Fawad over coals. Asad Umar's complaint of Fawad's interview did not elicit Khan's ire.

One possible explanation could be that Fawad's interview was premeditated. Was it a mere coincidence that it was aired just before a weekly cabinet meeting? Some say Prime Minister Khan is acutely aware of the loud cacophony of criticism surrounding his unelected cabinet members. Fawad, therefore, was used to convey a message to the cabinet. And it has the perfect deniability. Fawad hasn't been part of the inner sanctum ever since he was removed as the information minister.

The other explanation is that Fawad has played solo and gauged the political temperature. He...