LAHORE: Punjab’s governance crisis is deepening as the provincial government continues underutilising its bureaucratic strength, placing senior officers, who are already in short supply, at junior posts and perpetuating tenure insecurity with abrupt reshuffles on “the lamest of excuses”.

Presently, as many as 14 administrative secretaries’ BS-20 posts have been occupied by BS-21 officers, while 11 senior positions are lying vacant – some of these being run through assigning additional charge. One BS-21 post — Senior Member Board of Revenue (SMBR) in Punjab is being held by a BS-22 officer, Babar Hayat Tarar.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Punjab government has been struggling to overcome governance issues since its inception mainly because of reluctance of the civil bureaucracy to take initiatives for the fear of the National Accountability Bureau’s action.

Many officers awaiting posting against the administrative secretaries’ slots feel disheartened because of this situation. “The BS-21 officers need to go to the federal government, but they keep on sticking to Punjab government for the powers and perks and privileges they are enjoying in Punjab’s capital,” a senior officer awaiting posting told Dawn.

An officer said several senior positions are being run on additional charge basis, while the officers qualifying to be posted are already holding important posts.

Sources say Chief Minister Usman Buzdar administration has continuously been trying to restore senior bureaucracy’s confidence, but on individual level the officers lack trust in the government’s assurances about standing behind them with regard to major financial and administrative decisions that may invite NAB notices.

“The bureaucrats serving against senior positions in Punjab are continuously shifting the responsibility of major decisions to the provincial cabinet as it nears a half century of meetings with fat agenda items,” a source commented.

Senior officers also lose interest and avoid going into the depth of issues in their respective departments fearing abrupt transfers for no cogent reason, an officer told Dawn.

The BS-20 posts being held by the BS-21 officers in Punjab are: Principal secretary to Governor Dr Rashid Mansoor, agriculture secretary Asad Rehman Gillani, religious affairs and auqaf department/chief administrator Auqaf Nabeel Javed, cooperatives department secretary Ahmad Raza Sarwar; Higher education secretary Syed Javed Iqbal Bokhari, irrigation secretary retired Capt Saif Anjum, literacy and non-formal basic education secretary Sumaira Samad, mines and minerals secretary Amir Ijaz Akbar; services & general aadminstration (S&GAD) secretary Muhammad Sheheryar Sultan, excise and taxation secretary Waqas Ali Mahmood, Secretary (Regulations)/ DG (O&M), S&GAD Ahmad Ali Kamboh, Special education secretary Saima Saeed, Zakat and ushr secretary Salman Ijaz and women development secretary Ambreen Raza.

The federal government has recently withdrawn four senior officers from Punjab under the rotation policy and left the important post of finance department secretary vacant. Similarly, the Punjab Management and Professional Development (MPDD) department top slot has also fallen vacant.

The other nine posts lying vacant in Punjab are: Chairman, Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (the additional charge is with the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Syed Ali Murtaza for the past seven months), housing and urban development secretary (additional charge is with ACS (Home) Zafar Nasrullah Khan for the past four months), information and culture secretary (post vacant for the past almost two-and-a-half years, while the additional charge is being held by department’s Additional Secretary (admIn) Raja Jehangir Anwar).

Similarly, the post of energy department secretary is lying vacant for the past four months, while the additional charge is being held by Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Muhammad Aamir Jan. The post of law and parliamentary affairs secretary is also lying vacant for over two months and its additional charge has been given to Nadeem Sarwar, who is also holding the public prosecution department secretary’s post on officiating basis. The post of communication and works department special secretary is also unoccupied.

At least three posts of special secretaries – two special secretary to chief minister and newly-created post of special secretary to CM Office are also lying vacant.

Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal opted to keep mum when asked for his point of view on several positions being held by higher grade officers, causing unrest among those qualified for the posts and that how the dearth of officers was impacting governance in the province.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2021