The Punjab bureaucracy, which should be a united and a cohesive force, is clearly split into three separate groups, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Friday.

It has emerged that Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi is leading one group, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) the other while the chief secretary (CS) has his own group. 

24News has learnt that DC Lahore Muhammad Ali is PTI’s man since he has remained the party Chairman Imran Khan’s PSO when he was the country’s prime minister. 

On the other hand, the entire focus of the Punjab CM is on the development of his native Gujrat division and the adjacent Mandi Bahauddin district since some important assignments are given to the officers belonging to these areas. 

Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal, on the other hand, is busy strengthening his own faction in the provincial bureaucracy as he has appointed his class fellow Shehryar Sultan as additional chief secretary. 

Similarly, he has appointed Zaid bin Maqsood, his staff officer, secretary services. 

Likewise, Law Secretary Ahmad Raza Sarwar is an old acquaintance of the chief secretary.  

It has also come to light that Secretary Local Bodies Mubashir Hussain has also been appointed on the recommendation of the CS.       

Likewise, assistant commissioners (ACs) in the Punjab government are transferred on the recommendations of the PTI members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs). 

In these circumstances, competent and able bureaucrats are shifting from Punjab to Center.

 

Reporter: Qaiser Khokhar