LAHORE: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has told the bureaucracy to “cool down” over the spat between Fridous Ashiq Awan and Sialkot assistant commissioner on Sunday, and let him handle the matter, as support for AC Sonai Sadaf continued to pour in on social media, with some of the users also backing the CM’s aide.

Dr Awan had lashed out at the AC during her visit to Ramazan Bazaar “over poor quality of food items” on sale there. She asserted that it was the AC’s duty to check every commodity being sold in the bazaar since the civil servants were paid for the job.

The young officer left the venue when Dr Awan shouted: “Who is the shameless person who selected and posted you here? I will talk to him”.

As a clip of the ugly episode went viral on social media, it drew a strong reaction and Punjab Chief Secretary Jawwad Rafique Malik was the first to stand up to the “uncivilised behaviour” of the chief minister’s special assistant. Mr Malik condemned the use of unethical language against any officer or staff member.

As the issue became top trend on Twitter, a social media platform, with comments pouring in from political leaders, former bureaucrats and even general public, Mr Buzdar called Dr Awan and Chief Secretary Mr Malik at his office and sought their views on it. Principal Secretary to CM, Tahir Khurshid, was also present in the meeting.

The chief minister asked both the parties to cool down and told them that he would himself look into the matter – since it had both political and administrative sides.

An official of the chief minister’s office said the controversy over SACM Dr Awan’s outburst against the AC was blown out of proportion as electronic and social media was abuzz with the comments, mostly in favour of the AC.

Meanwhile, AC Sonia Sadaf tweeted that it was none of her fault and she did nothing wrong. She stated that she was performing her duties with integrity. “Despite all this, I was insulted and humiliated and now I am being pressured to apologise to them. Is it fair?” she asked.

Soon after the meeting with the chief minister, Dr Awan spoke to the media and defended her stance, saying the officers getting salaries from the taxpayers’ money were answerable to the public. Expressing her displeasure over some electronic media channels that were trying to give a “protocol slant” to the incident, Dr Awan said some elements wanted to create a rift between the public representatives and the bureaucracy. She also said the chief secretary was “misinformed” about the episode.

Ms Awan said she was distributing subsidised sugar among women at the Ramazan bazaar in sweltering heat, but the AC left the venue to sit in her air-conditioned vehicle. She said the women who chose to serve in the field, should be ready to face hardships. “The public representatives are supposed to identify mistakes, but the reaction of the AC was unexpected,” she added. Saying it was the AC’s duty to manage the Ramazan bazaar, she added the people ultimately cursed the political government and its representatives when they did not find quality products and proper facilities in these bazaars.

Since PML-N Vice-president Maryam Nawaz also condemned SACM’S behaviour and demanded she should seek an apology from the AC, Dr Awan reminded her that her father Nawaz Sharif as prime minister had got bureaucrats handcuffed in Faisalabad. She also reminded that PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah had also threatened Punjab chief secretary and Lahore commission recently.

Dr Awan said the chief minister was dealing with the issue and he would himself take a decision.

Meanwhile, the Civil Service Alumni Association also chided the SACM for her “atrocious and disgraceful” outburst against a government representative.

The All-Pakistan Provincial Civil Services Association, however, condemned Punjab chief secretary’s reaction to the Sialkot incident, saying he acted more like an aide to the federal service officers occupying provincial posts, and not as a provincial government representative. “The federal government officers have always blackmailed the provincial governments,” the association’s spokesperson said.

Ms Nawaz added that civil servants joined the service after hard work and competition and did not achieve their status through mere “selection”. Chiding Dr Awan, Ms Nawaz tweeted that being a minister did not mean that she got a licence to insult an officer. She said that kind of arrogance was not acceptable and demanded that Dr Awan should seek an apology from the AC.

In her second tweet in a row, Ms Nawaz said Dr Awan’s arrogance actually depicted Punjab government’s failure as sub-standard fruits and vegetables were being sold at exorbitant rates.

However, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar tweeted that he felt sorry over the unpleasant incident. He said that he personally knew Ms Sadaf who was a responsible and competent officer. The women officers’ role in governance system was welcoming and needed to be appreciated.

The Qaumi Awami Tehreek president, Ayaz Latif Palejo, defended Dr Awan, saying the bureaucracy had also committed excesses against the public during the past 75 years.

PA RESOLUTION: PML-N MPA Hina Pervaiz Butt has submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly, demanding Dr Awan should be removed from the public office.

In her resolution, she stated that the house condemn Dr Awan’s insulting behavior towards a woman officer. She stated that Dr Awan’s arrogant behavior had sent a wave of uneasiness among the bureaucracy. She also stated that Dr Awan should seek an apology from the officer.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2021