Administrative ‘anarchy’: Chief secretary holds on to post, CM insists he leave

Dispute between the two provincial officers had led to delays in projects, transfers.

KARACHI:

The third chief secretary of Sindh hired since the Pakistan Peoples Party came into power in May 2013 refuses to leave his post while the chief minister's office insists he leaves.

The dispute between Chief Secretary Sajjad Saleem Hotiana and Chief Minister (CM) Qaim Ali Shah has brought several development schemes to a standstill, with pending transfers and promotions and numerous summaries referred by the CM piling up at the secretary's desk. Hotiana took over as chief secretary from Muhammad Eijaz Chaudhry on November 11, 2013.

The chief minister has requested the federal government twice in the past two months to repatriate Hotiana to Islamabad. Hotiana refuses, however, to leave until the Centre issues a formal notification. According to officials privy to the matter, he continued to work from his house on Friday, when he summoned officials and issued directives to some department secretaries. Later, he met President Mamnoon Hussain at the State Guest House in Karachi and gave a briefing on the situation.

As per the rules, the notification for the appointment and transfer of the chief secretary and Sindh police IG is issued by the establishment division in Islamabad based on the recommendation of the chief minister. Since the federal government had yet to respond, the CM 'repatriated' the chief secretary on Tuesday night and gave the charge to Subhan Memon, a senior bureaucrat who currently works as the chairperson of the inspection and inquiry team.

When the matter came to Hotiana's knowledge, he directed his sub-ordinate to de-notify Memon's charge. "How can I quit my job until the establishment division tells me to leave the office," he told The Express Tribune. "I am in government service and forcibly transferring me is against the rules."

Root of the problem

The dispute between the CM and the chief secretary arose after the appointment of some bureaucrats and the 'illegal' allotment of land in Malir, said an officer privy to the development. The officials working in the chief secretary's office said that Hotiana refused to appear before the court to defend the government's 'wrong policies'. "He bluntly refused the CM's order to appoint junior officers and was frustrated over giving false statements on part of the government," he said.

Meanwhile, CM House officials claimed that Hotiana was involved in the 'illegal appointment' of the managing director of Malir Development Authority and in 'illegal' land allotment. "The chief secretary can [also] not sit in office because of his poor health," said an official. "He works from home and only attends the office on Tuesday."

The CM requested his transfer as Hotiana refused to attend meetings at CM House.

Another officer claimed that the government may register the case of illegal allotment in Malir if Hotiana refuses to vacate the post. "The government is considering approaching the anti-corruption department against the chief secretary," he said.

For his part, Sindh advocate-general Abdul Fatah Malik told The Express Tribune that the chief secretary of any province works on behalf of the CM. After the promulgation of the 18th Amendment, the CM has the power to dismiss him.

"The CM is not satisfied with his performance, therefore, he wants his transfer," said Malik. "The chief secretary should surrender his post but he is continuously flouting the law and CM's orders."

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2015.