The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has issued a 'red letter' to 27 ministries/divisions for a "critical delay" in the tasks they were assigned under the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan, it emerged on Thursday.

The red letter — considered to be a final warning and expression of displeasure — was issued to the secretaries for 27 federal ministries/divisions out of a total of 34 ministries.

The PMO asked the concerned ministries/divisions to complete the tasks they were assigned by September 9 and to submit a compliance report on the matter to the premier.

According to the red letter issued to one ministry/division, a copy of which was obtained by DawnNewsTV, it had earlier been given 30 days to complete certain tasks.

These tasks were:

• Provision of the list of positions lying vacant at all levels for framing or update of recruitment rules
• Provision of the list of positions lying vacant at all levels that could be re-designated, rationalised or deleted
• Provision of the list of officers/officials (all type of ex-cadres) eligible for promotion not being promoted due to various reasons
• Timely disposal of all disciplinary proceedings initiated against government employees that are lying pending for more than three months
• Provision of data on a prescribed format regarding record/files to be archived, machinery, vehicles, equipment to be condemned and disposed-off as per the approved procedure

The letter said that in order to ensure clarity, two briefing sessions had also been convened.

Initially, a 'yellow letter' was issued to the ministry on August 17, noting that half of the time that they were given for completion of the tasks had elapsed.

"Despite the above stated situation, the task got critically delayed and [is] now lying overdue at your end," the letter stated, adding that no further extension would be granted to the ministry.

The PMO noted that the red letter would factor into the performance report of the concerned ministry/division, urging them to complete tasks for which deadlines had not yet elapsed.

In March, the PMO said that Prime Minister Imran would be conducting a quarterly review of all the ministries and cabinet divisions of the government, for which a notice was sent to all federal secretaries.