Mehdi Shah slams graft in public sector

G-B chief minister says culture of corruption in public sector huge risk to region's promising economic development.

GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Mehdi Shah said on Friday that the endemic culture of corruption in the public sector, especially in the public works department (PWD), was posing a huge risk to the region’s promising economic development.

“A corrupt culture has developed in the society but we will have to fight it at all costs,” he told The Express Tribune on Friday.

Shah was critical of the corruption in the PWD, saying that with the connivance of contractors and department officials money intended for public welfare had been siphoned off.

In a drive against graft, the chief minister suspended an executive engineer, while the deputy commissioners of two districts in G-B were posted out and appointed as deputy secretaries in the Gilgit-Baltistan Secretariat. Referring to the suspension of an executive engineer, Shah said that XEN Tajwar wasn’t the only case in the department, there were many more. “But we will take every possible step to purge the departments of this menace,” he said.

Sources said that inquiries against at least two more XENs in the PWD have been completed and their suspension orders were going to be issued.

Mehdi Shah also confirmed that inquiries would be carried out in every department to unearth the corrupt elements.

Asked if he was satisfied with the performance of his ministers, the chief minister said that so far they had done well but asked the media to keep a check on their performances.

Commenting on the law and order situation of Gilgit that saw two back-to-back shooting incidents a few days ago, Shah said that apart from the town itself, the situation elsewhere in the region was satisfactory.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2010.