I’m convinced that Imran Khan is not hurt at all by his transfer
PESHAWAR: I was intrigued beyond description upon reading a report in your newspaper regarding the replacement of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary. Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, commending the services of Amjad Ali Khan, reposed his full confidence in a bureaucrat known for his professional integrity. The CM claimed, though unconvincingly and implausibly, that he would make sincere efforts to bring accountability to his administration and ensure transparency in government affairs. He also pledged to eliminate political interference to enforce merit and deliver justice to people.
It was Khattak who had requested the federal government to post Amjad Ali Khan as the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary. The request was graciously granted and the bureaucrat subsequently took office at a challenging time. Drawing on his vast administrative experience, the chief secretary successfully made his presence felt. His emphasis on upholding merit and combating corruption, however, was not liked by the chief minister’s cronies. Eventually, the PTI government asked the centre to replace him.
I know from my experience of working with Amjad Ali Khan that he has always stood his ground, refusing to flout rules and regulations. Without compromising his integrity, he has always shown spine and stayed the course even in the worst of circumstances. Will the chief minister explain what prompted him to replace a secretary who pursued the very goals the PTI government has supposedly been trying to achieve?
I’m convinced that Imran Khan is not hurt at all by his transfer, but the move has certainly brought the PTI government’s tall claims regarding merit and reform under question. The CM must define political interference in a more rational way.
Engineer Shakirullah
Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2016.
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