ISLAMABAD: With every action of the government coming under scrutiny, new directives were issued to all officials to not honour any request made by Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s family members.
In a memo issued on Friday, Ashraf restrained all ministers and public offices from giving any ‘favour’ to his family members and directed that calls for favours should be reported to the PM’s Secretariat.
The memo was written by the cabinet division and was signed by Joint Secretary to the Cabinet Omar Hamid Khan on July 16.
Prime Minister Ashraf has told all the ministries, divisions and other public sector organisations that his relatives or family members were not permitted to make telephone calls to any government department for any task.
The memo - addressed to all the secretaries, additional secretaries and in-charge of ministries as well as divisions - states that in case there is any such communication, the matter should be reported immediately to Joint Secretary (Administration Coordination) Fida Muhammad with the name and telephone number of the person so that necessary action is taken.
The notification also said: “the instructions may be brought to the notice of all concerned departments, autonomous bodies, semi-autonomous bodies, corporations, organisations under the concerned ministry for strict compliance. Former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had to face untoward situation when the name of his son, Ali Musa Gilani, surfaced for making a phone call to the then Director General of health ministry for issuance of out of turn ephedrine quota to Multan-based pharmaceutical companies. Musa Gilani is still facing Anti-Narcotics Force investigations for his alleged involvement in the scam.”
COMMENTS (5)
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Too little too late. You people have sucked this country dry. Your time is up. The winds of change are blowing and soon they will blow you and your entire system away!
PTI Zindabad. Pakistan Paindabad.
-unexpected but GOOD JOB !
The Prime Minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf has not done some thing great or out of the blue.
No government servant from grade 1 to grade 22 whether provincial or federal or his or her family members are allowed under the government rules is allowed to take undue advantage.
Prime Minister's directives are just the revival of the correct rules that are applicable for all the the government servants and their family members, including the Prime Minister.
I am not sure if similar directives were also issued by the President of Pakistan.
A welcoome step to stop nepotism and corruption. Many people simply use their names and being from the same city to their advantage. It should be strictly and openly implemented and is the first step in the right direction. Kudos to the new PM for controlling his own family members before they make billion empire.
This is all a farce, the departments and their employees who are subservient to the PM will continue to extend special favors to the PM and his family. This directive is nothing but a ploy to act holier than thou. We all know how things get done in and around Islamabad. Do you really think a Grade 18 or 19 officer will turn down a request from the PM's family?