Staff Reporter
Punjab Chief Secretary Jawad Rafique Malik has surrendered all his powers to the provincial chief executive – Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, on Tuesday. The Chief Minister Office retained all the powers executing all important decisions of transfers and postings.
All secretaries, commissioners and deputy commissioners are now being posted on the recommendations of the Chief Minister’s Office sidelining the top bureaucrat of the province. Reportedly, Chief Secretary Jawad Rafique Malik’s involvement in the high-level transfer/posting process has been confined to few postings. “All powers of transfers/postings of top bureaucrats are being executed by the Chief Minister’s Office,” sources said. With the ongoing power struggle and least intervention from the chief secretary of Punjab, the provincial bureaucracy has started to go wayward.
The sources informed that Additional Chief Secretary Irum Bukhari was also appointed without the recommendation of the Chief Secretary. Now, all the big decisions of the bureaucracy are being taken beyond Punjab Chief Secretary Jawad Rafique Malik. The ‘helpless’ Chief Secretary has given to the chief minister a ‘free hand’ for intervention in the bureaucratic matters.
