Panel to review regional secretariat issues

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has formed a ministerial committee to make a framework for the South Punjab Secretariat and give its recommendations in seven days.

Finance Minister Makhdoom Javan Bakht will be the convener of the committee chaired by Chief Minister Buzdar.

 Its members include Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Mazari, Law Minister Basharat Raja, Livestock Minister Sardar Bahadur Dareshk, Irrigation Minister Mohammad Mohsin Leghari, Zakat and Ushr Minister Shaukat Ali Lalika, Transport Minister Jahanzeb Khichi, Energy Minister Mohammad Akhtar and former MNA Chaudhry Tahir Bashir Cheema, Chairman Executive Council South Punjab.

 The chief secretary, additional chief secretary for services and general administration, services secretary, law secretary, implementation and coordination secretary and Additional Advocate General Shan Gul have also been included in the committee.

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 The purpose of the committee is to formulate a framework and procedure for the South Punjab Secretariat in accordance with the Constitution of 1973 and the Rules of Business 2011 of the Punjab government.

 The committee will inform the chief minister about the timeline of the South Punjab Secretariat and its implementation on a monthly basis.

The recommendations will be forwarded to the chief minister within seven days. Sources said the Punjab cabinet had approved the abolition of some departments in a meeting but a provincial secretary was being blamed for the move.

 They said the cabinet had approved a suggestion to stop some important departments from working in the secretariat.

The former secretary for I&C had sent a summary to the relevant committee on the orders of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Law and the Chief Minister's Office, the sources claimed.

 Amendments to the rules of business were also approved by the sub-committee before the cabinet’s approval. After the prime minister took notice of the issue, the notification has been suspended.