Six task forces abolished

LAHORE: The Punjab government has abolished six of its task forces because they became a drain on public finances, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Niva Usman has been removed from her post as chairwoman of the Task Force for the Promotion of Sports; Ijaz Gul has also been removed from the separate Task Force on Sports; Chaudhry Yaqoob from the Task Force on Sports in Rural Areas; Farogh Naveed from the Efficiency and Financial Discipline Task Force; Zubair Gul from the Task Force on the Pakistani Community in the UK; and Nadeem K Haq from the Task Force for the Introduction of Information Technology in District Governments, according to a notification from the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD).

Chief Minsiter Shahbaz Sharif ordered the task forces be abolished “to save public money,” said an S&GAD official. “The province is in a severe financial crisis,” he said.

The chief minister had set up 26 task forces in the Punjab with the stated aim of promoting good governance and merit in various departments. The abolition of six of these indicates that the chief minister has been disappointed with their performance.

Another official said that the task forces were consuming more resources than they were worth. ]

The heads of the task forces were getting big salaries in the MP (management position) scale, vehicles with unlimited fuel allowance, office accommodation, unlimited phone allowance and three subordinate staff each.

He said that four of the removed chairpersons – Usman, Ijaz Gul, Yaqoob and Naveed – were being paid Rs75,000 a month, whereas the other two – Zubair Gul and Haq – were being paid Rs195,000 per month. They also enjoyed travel and daily allowances BS-20 officers are entitled to.

“These chairpersons just enjoyed themselves,” he said, particularly Zubair Gul and Haq, who were living abroad and were given full protocol during their visits to Punjab.

The government had been criticised for appointing parliamentarians and officials of the ruling party (PML-N), as well as retired bureaucrats known to be close to the Sharifs, to chair these task forces.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2010.