Undue benefits: Frontier Corps to help repossess cars from ex-ministers
The decision was taken at a high- level meeting presided by Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad.
The decision was taken at a high- level meeting presided by Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
QUETTA:
As ex-provincial ministers are finding it hard to part with their official cars - symbols of their power and prestige - the newly inducted caretaker government ordered their immediate repossession on Tuesday.
The decision was taken at a high- level meeting presided by Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad after former ministers were seen using official vehicles during news conferences and electioneering.
According to the decision, the provincial government will use the Frontier Corps to intercept and impound vehicles on the spot in case former government functionaries refuse to return them.
Cases of non-compliance will be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan requesting disqualification for those former ministers who fail to surrender their official vehicles.
In this regard, the government has directed all provincial departments to provide lists of official vehicles in the possession of the former ministers.
It may be mentioned that some powerful ministers in the last government possessed as many as seven to eight vehicles for their personal and unauthorised use.
Some ministers went to the extent of forcibly taking vehicles assigned to their subordinates and the department motor vehicle pool, for personal use.
Meanwhile, a few secretaries of the administrative departments had already written letters to their former ministers to surrender all official vehicles before the government initiated action against them. Former ministers were also seen using official vehicles to travel to news conferences and moving from one part of the province to another in connection with their election campaign.
However, so far none of the former ministers had responded to the letters by returning official vehicles, a source confirmed.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 27th, 2013.
As ex-provincial ministers are finding it hard to part with their official cars - symbols of their power and prestige - the newly inducted caretaker government ordered their immediate repossession on Tuesday.
The decision was taken at a high- level meeting presided by Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad after former ministers were seen using official vehicles during news conferences and electioneering.
According to the decision, the provincial government will use the Frontier Corps to intercept and impound vehicles on the spot in case former government functionaries refuse to return them.
Cases of non-compliance will be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan requesting disqualification for those former ministers who fail to surrender their official vehicles.
In this regard, the government has directed all provincial departments to provide lists of official vehicles in the possession of the former ministers.
It may be mentioned that some powerful ministers in the last government possessed as many as seven to eight vehicles for their personal and unauthorised use.
Some ministers went to the extent of forcibly taking vehicles assigned to their subordinates and the department motor vehicle pool, for personal use.
Meanwhile, a few secretaries of the administrative departments had already written letters to their former ministers to surrender all official vehicles before the government initiated action against them. Former ministers were also seen using official vehicles to travel to news conferences and moving from one part of the province to another in connection with their election campaign.
However, so far none of the former ministers had responded to the letters by returning official vehicles, a source confirmed.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 27th, 2013.