Chief Minister’s Secretariat: 20 offices allotted in violation of rules
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had said the premises would be used for an information technology university for women.
LAHORE:
Twenty offices at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat at 8-Club Road have been allotted to parliamentarians, office-bearers and workers in violation of rules.
According to an official document available to The Express Tribune, an office at the secretariat was recently allotted to Dr Tahir Ali Javed, the parliamentary party leader of the Unification Bloc, who does not hold any government post.
Besides Dr Javed and Brig (retd) Anis, the head of Monitoring and Implementation Cell, 10 political assistants to the chief minister, three chairpersons of task forces and five political advisors are occupying space in the building in violation of rules.
These people are also provided personal staff as well as telephone and fax facilities.
The political assistants were appointed in April 2009 to look after party affairs and development projects underway in the province.
Zubair Gul, Col (retd) Ijaz Minhas and Dr Zafar Iqbal Quershi still occupy their spaces despite the fact that the task forces they had headed have been abolished.
An official at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat said that only provincial ministers and advisors could be allotted space at the Secretariat under the rules of business. He said that the chief minister had to relax rules for allotment of space to the 20 occupants.
The official said that three advisors, three deputy secretaries and one section officer had been allotted space in accordance with the rules.
Aamir Hussain Ghazi, the administration deputy secretary at CM’s Secretariat, who is responsible for allotment of space at the Secretariat, was not available for his comments.
On taking oath of his office, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had said the premises would be used for an information technology university for women.
However in January 2009, the plan was dropped after a committee chaired by then chief secretary Javed Mahmood concluded that it would not be feasible. It was then decided to use the space for a Center of Excellence to assist the government in policy matters.
After the imposition of Governor’s Rule in February 2009, a camp office for the governor was established in the building.
The three-story building spread over an area of 10 kanals was constructed in 2006 during Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s term as chief minister. Of the Rs900 million spent on the construction of the complex, Rs25 million was spent on the portion containing offices.
All windows in the building have bullet-proof glass. It has 46 office-suits – one each for the chief minister, principal secretary, two special secretaries, four additional secretaries, 13 deputy secretaries, two personal staff officers, 12 section officers and ministerial staff.3
Published in The Express Tribune, April 16th, 2011.
Twenty offices at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat at 8-Club Road have been allotted to parliamentarians, office-bearers and workers in violation of rules.
According to an official document available to The Express Tribune, an office at the secretariat was recently allotted to Dr Tahir Ali Javed, the parliamentary party leader of the Unification Bloc, who does not hold any government post.
Besides Dr Javed and Brig (retd) Anis, the head of Monitoring and Implementation Cell, 10 political assistants to the chief minister, three chairpersons of task forces and five political advisors are occupying space in the building in violation of rules.
These people are also provided personal staff as well as telephone and fax facilities.
The political assistants were appointed in April 2009 to look after party affairs and development projects underway in the province.
Zubair Gul, Col (retd) Ijaz Minhas and Dr Zafar Iqbal Quershi still occupy their spaces despite the fact that the task forces they had headed have been abolished.
An official at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat said that only provincial ministers and advisors could be allotted space at the Secretariat under the rules of business. He said that the chief minister had to relax rules for allotment of space to the 20 occupants.
The official said that three advisors, three deputy secretaries and one section officer had been allotted space in accordance with the rules.
Aamir Hussain Ghazi, the administration deputy secretary at CM’s Secretariat, who is responsible for allotment of space at the Secretariat, was not available for his comments.
On taking oath of his office, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had said the premises would be used for an information technology university for women.
However in January 2009, the plan was dropped after a committee chaired by then chief secretary Javed Mahmood concluded that it would not be feasible. It was then decided to use the space for a Center of Excellence to assist the government in policy matters.
After the imposition of Governor’s Rule in February 2009, a camp office for the governor was established in the building.
The three-story building spread over an area of 10 kanals was constructed in 2006 during Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s term as chief minister. Of the Rs900 million spent on the construction of the complex, Rs25 million was spent on the portion containing offices.
All windows in the building have bullet-proof glass. It has 46 office-suits – one each for the chief minister, principal secretary, two special secretaries, four additional secretaries, 13 deputy secretaries, two personal staff officers, 12 section officers and ministerial staff.3
Published in The Express Tribune, April 16th, 2011.