ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaud­hry on Wednesday warned bureaucrats to either work for implementation of policies and agenda of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government or be ready to go home.

“It is not the job of bureaucrats to formulate policies. The bureaucrats who will not work for the implementation of our programme, will go home,” declared the information minister while talking to reporters outside the Parliament House.

“The prime minister has given a clear message to the bureaucracy. We are to implement what we have promised to the people. Those having differences (with our policies), can get themselves separated from the government,” the minister said, justifying the government’s decision to remove Punjab Inspector General Muhammad Tahir.

He criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan for suspending the government’s notification regarding removal of the Punjab IGP and termed the ECP’s stay order “illegal”.

Mr Chaudhry said the PTI enjoyed people’s mandate and since there was a parliamentary system in the country, the bureaucrats were bound to respect the elected representatives.

He said the bureaucrats had over the years developed some personal affiliations and “those bureaucrats who consider our policies wrong, should go home”.

The information minister said the government had removed the Punjab IGP after he failed to show progress on the directives of the prime minister in connection with the probe into the Model Town killings case.

He said that after his telephonic conversation with Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri, Prime Minister Imran Khan had issued certain directives to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, but there had been no progress despite a passage of 10 days.

He said the IGP had been changed because he had not removed those police officials from key positions who were allegedly involved in the 2014 Model Town tragedy.

The minister said that the prime minister had promised a fresh inquiry into the incident as the previous probe had been carried out by then chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.

He criticised the opposition for what he called using Shahbaz Sharif’s arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for political gains.

“Whether you call it victimisation or cruelty, the process of accountability will continue,” he said, adding that cases against Shahbaz Sharif had not been initiated by the PTI government, but it would take these cases to their logical conclusion.

Mr Chaudhry suggested formation of a parliamentary committee to find out causes of the present economic mess in the country and to fix the responsibility.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2018