Office hopping: Jati Umra almost becomes camp office

Sources say the move may be undertaken to justify security still given to Nawaz

LAHORE: Jati Umra, the former residence of Pakistan’s prime minister, but then the chief minister’s camp office, is now status-less, as Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif got the notification temporarily withheld.

According to a copy of the letter available with The Express Tribune a notification was issued from Punjab Additional Chief Secretary Farhan Aziz Khawaja’s office on November 14, declaring the entire estate of Jati Umra as Chief Minister’s camp office, instead of the residence of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. This was reportedly done in response to a letter sent from the chief minister’s office. Immediately after this news circulated in the electronic media, Shehbaz held the notification in abeyance.



The move to declare Jati Umra as the chief minister’s camp office was seen as a way to provide legal cover to all the security arrangements made for Nawaz at the residence.

The security at the residence was initially beefed up, as then prime minister Nawaz was deemed to be under a serious threat. The Punjab government had spent millions for fortification of walls and widening of roads amongst other measures.

Despite Nawaz’s ousting on July 28, the security measures taken for the residence are still in place. This move was heavily scrutinised by other political parties, as well as the media. It was assumed that the notification came more as a justification to the unwarranted security rather than anything else.

Details of the letter issued from the chief minister office asking for the conversion of Jati Umra to a camp office are still shrouded in mystery. A senior government official from the CM office said the letter was a silly mistake. He said that the chief minister does not even visit the residence, hence declaring it a camp office is not a wise idea. He added that as soon as the backlash for this move started pouring in, the notification was withheld but it was not withdrawn.



So far, as the media reported, no committee has been formally formed to review the letter from the chief minister, he said. He said that Jati Umra’s status will be decided in a few days but knowing Shehbaz, it is highly unlikely that it will be converted into a camp office.

Information Secretary and Lahore Commissioner Abdullah Khan Sumbal confirmed that the letter has been held in abeyance. Regarding who generated the letter, why was it generated and why it was later withheld, he said that he was not privy to the details. He also said that the fate of the letter will be decided soon. Former Punjab government spokesperson Zaeem Qadri initially termed the letter fake.

However after a response was issued from the CM office withholding the notification, he had to backtrack quickly by saying that Shehbaz is the head of a province and may have issued a letter. He also acknowledged how it was the media’s criticism that forced them to reconsider the letter.

It is important to mention here that Shehbaz, had allowed house 180 H in Model Town Lahore to be used by Maryam Nawaz for the NA 120 by-election campaign by declaring it as the chief minister camp office. It was only after he came under severe scrutiny from the media did he de-notify the same. Interestingly, this move came so that Maryam could continue holding party meetings there, and even though the camp office status was removed, the premises still enjoys the security it was assigned when it was a camp office.



Currently the chief minister operates from his residence, located in Model Town that has been declared as a camp office, and the chief minister office located at 7 Club GOR-1 Mall Road. He does not use his office located at the 90 Shahrah at Mall Road.

A government official said that declaring Jati Umra as a camp office does not make any sense whatsoever. He said that Shehbaz caved into the media’s pressure hence he removed the status of camp office from 180 H Model Town as he himself still frequently uses it for official meetings.

He added that why would he declare Jati Umra as his camp office which is only used by Nawaz, as opposed to being a hub of PML-N related political activities. He also said it will be oxymoronic for the CM to travel all the way to Jati Umra from Model Town to conduct his meetings. No other government officials decided to comment on the subject.