Education minister in ‘cold war’ with secretary
On Tuesday, Khuhro announced that he will not resign on ‘somebody’s will’.
On Tuesday, Khuhro announced that he will not resign on ‘somebody’s will’. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The ‘excessive meddling of the bureaucracy’ in the affairs of the Sindh education department has forced the senior minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro to complain to the chief secretary against the bureaucratic head of his own department, who happens to be brother-in-law of former president Asif Ali Zardari, The Express Tribune learnt on Wednesday.
Khuhro has complained to chief secretary Muhammad Ejaz Chaudhry that the bureaucracy under him was not performing its duties in compliance with rules and regulations, urging him to control the civil servants, said officials in the education ministry.
The ‘cold war’ has been going on allegedly since Khuhro was appointed education minister. But what made Khuhro record his displeasure was the additional chief secretary, Dr Fazlullah Pechuho’s attempt to reinstate some officials that Khuhro had replaced during his absence. As soon as Pechuho returned from a month-long leave on Monday, he tried to reinstate these officials. Pechuho told The Express Tribune he was astonished to learn that his ‘trusted partners’ were removed even though they helped curb corruption in the department.
Meanwhile, education officials confirmed that Pechuho had summoned a list of remaining officers replaced by the education minister and it is likely that those officers may be transferred or relieved from their responsibilities. A Pakistan Peoples Party central leader, while requesting anonymity, said the ongoing silent rift between some of the party’s senior leaders and sisters, foster brother and brother-in-law of the former president may give way to visible groupings within the party.
On Tuesday, Khuhro announced that he will not resign on ‘somebody’s will’. The post of the minister refers to the visions and policies of the political party he belongs to, he said, adding that the implementation of the policies is the subject of bureaucracy. “Both the minister and the secretary are bound to follow the rules and regulations.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2013.
The ‘excessive meddling of the bureaucracy’ in the affairs of the Sindh education department has forced the senior minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro to complain to the chief secretary against the bureaucratic head of his own department, who happens to be brother-in-law of former president Asif Ali Zardari, The Express Tribune learnt on Wednesday.
Khuhro has complained to chief secretary Muhammad Ejaz Chaudhry that the bureaucracy under him was not performing its duties in compliance with rules and regulations, urging him to control the civil servants, said officials in the education ministry.
The ‘cold war’ has been going on allegedly since Khuhro was appointed education minister. But what made Khuhro record his displeasure was the additional chief secretary, Dr Fazlullah Pechuho’s attempt to reinstate some officials that Khuhro had replaced during his absence. As soon as Pechuho returned from a month-long leave on Monday, he tried to reinstate these officials. Pechuho told The Express Tribune he was astonished to learn that his ‘trusted partners’ were removed even though they helped curb corruption in the department.
Meanwhile, education officials confirmed that Pechuho had summoned a list of remaining officers replaced by the education minister and it is likely that those officers may be transferred or relieved from their responsibilities. A Pakistan Peoples Party central leader, while requesting anonymity, said the ongoing silent rift between some of the party’s senior leaders and sisters, foster brother and brother-in-law of the former president may give way to visible groupings within the party.
On Tuesday, Khuhro announced that he will not resign on ‘somebody’s will’. The post of the minister refers to the visions and policies of the political party he belongs to, he said, adding that the implementation of the policies is the subject of bureaucracy. “Both the minister and the secretary are bound to follow the rules and regulations.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2013.