Punjab

Austere governance: Ministers asked not to hold meetings at CM’s Secretariat

The chief minister’s secretariat consists of 7-Club Road, on 8-Club Road in GOR-I and Banquet Hall at 90 The Mall.

Anwer Sumra January 03, 2015

Rafiullah, the public relations officer to chief minister, told The Express Tribune that he was unaware of any such directions. “Ministers are holding routine meetings at the CM’s Secretariat,” he said. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has barred ministers from holding official meetings at his secretariat, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The chief minister’s secretariat consists of 7-Club Road, on 8-Club Road in GOR-I and Banquet Hall at 90 The Mall.

A circular, whose copy is available with The Express Tribune, has been issued by the CM secretariat, barring ministers from convening meetings for official business at CM’s Secretariat.

Requesting anonymity, a secretariat official said: “After the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) protest campaign gained momentum, the ministers had started convening official meetings at the CM’s secretariat. It was meant to give the impression that the CM was busy. This was also meant to be a signal to the secretaries that the CM was monitoring them,” the official said.

“Now that the political situation has improved, the secretariat has directed the ministers not to convene meetings at premises. Any meeting will only be allowed if it is confirmed by the CM’s personal staff officer under intimation to the secretary to CM,” he said.

“Only the chief minister and MNA Hamza Shahbaz Sharif will hold official business meetings in secretariat,” the official said.

“The decision has been taken as an austerity measure. The government also wants to avoid large gatherings at the CM’s office due to security concerns,” the official said.

Requesting anonymity, a provincial minister, told The Express Tribune that the decision was meant to keep the ministers away from the CM. “Whenever ministers get a chance to meet the CM, they start complaining to him. The decision is a signal to them (ministers) to take interest in their respective departments rather than the secretariat,” he said.

Rafiullah, the public relations officer to chief minister, told The Express Tribune that he was unaware of any such directions. “Ministers are holding routine meetings at the CM’s Secretariat,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.