Musical chairs like situation for bureaucracy

ISLAMABAD: Frequent changes in key bureaucratic positions, particularly at the Centre and in Punjab, have pushed governance in such a disarray that a leading intelligence agency has also reported on the matter with serious concerns, a cabinet source confided to The News.

The ministerial source said that the report indicates that officers on key positions, both at the secretariatand in the field, are changed quite frequently, badly hurting the governance.

The source said that this situation is even quite disturbing for many members of the ruling PTI, who believe that the party manifesto and its reform agenda could not be implemented in such a fashion.

It's a ‘Musical Chair’ like situation for the bureaucracy as the federal and Punjab governments do such frequent changes on key positions that it has made the concept of performance, delivery and accountability totally redundant, the source said.

The federal government has changed the most critical position of FBR chairman for fourth time transferring Nausheen Amjad and replacing her with Javed Ghani of customs service. "How could the FBR deliver in this situation?" an official source commented.

During the last two years, the FBR revenue targets had to be scaled down several times. The PTI government, which had promised to double the revenue target to Rs8,000 billion has only achieved 2 percent more than the revenue achieved by PML-N government in 2018.

Strangely, the new FBR chairman has been posted for only three months on additional charge basis. Some believe this move will face legal challenge since the new FBR chairman holding temporary charge will be supervising the assets inquiry ordered by SCP in Qazi Faez Isa case.

In the health sector, which after COVID-19 pandemic has become all important, also experiencing lack of focus as the government has so far transferred four federal secretaries of health in the midst of corona pandemic during the last three months.

Dr Malik Allah Baksh was removed in early March when corona had just struck, and replaced by Dr Syed Tauqir Shah, PAS Officer who had served as Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif during PML-N tenure and was key member of the Punjab team, which managed dengue epidemic in Punjab in 2011.

However, he was changed after one week. A key aide of PM who is member of federal secretaries’ placement committee shared with this scribe that Dr Tauqir was changed on “political considerations”.

Dr Tanveer Qureshi who replaced Dr Tauqir was also changed after a few weeks and Amir Ashraf Khawaja was posted a health Secretary last month. Federal government has so far changed five inspector generals and four chief secretaries in less than two years.

Chief Secretary Azam Suleman, who was posted last year amid pronouncements of “depoliticising the administration” was abruptly changed after four months. The officers who were either surrendered or sidelined by Chief Secretary Azam suleman have staged a comeback once Azam was removed.

Former commissioner D G Khan Tahir Khursheed, ex-secretary to CM Dr Shoiab and SSP Amir Taimor Buzdar (uncle of CM Buzdar) were removed from key positions by Chief Secretary Azam Suleman. With the departure of Major Azam, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has again asserted his position and posted Tahir Khurshid as Chairman CM Inspection Team and ACS for many key departments. Dr Shoaib belonging to OMG got posted as secretary services, a rarity for a non DMG officer. And CM Buzdar's uncle was posted as DPO Sahiwal.

According to sources one of the most hilarious and blatant example of bureaucratic musical chairs is the position of Punjab Secretary for Higher Education. Nine secretaries of higher education have been changed since September 2018 till to-date.

The tenure of Higher Education Secretary, which is the most important position in social sector, has ranged from a few days to a few weeks to a few months - the longest being five months.

The Irrigation Department is perhaps the worst hit as it saw eleven secretaries ever since the arrival of Usman Buzdar administration. In August, the Secretary Irrigation was Sher Alam Mahsud, who was changed and replaced by Syed Ali Murtaza in November 2018 but he was also changed in April 2019 and replaced by Ahmed Javed Qazi. Qazi was again changed in July 2019 and replaced by Saif Anjum whose transfer order was issued only a month latter to be replaced by Ahmed Javed Qazi. Later this transfer order was initially held in abeyance and then cancelled. In December 2019, the Irrigation Department got Syed Ali Murtaza as its new secretary but in Feb 2019 initially Muhammad Amir Jan was given additional charge of the post but later the notification was cancelled. In Feb 2020, the department got Zahid Zaman as its secretary but he was again replaced by Saif Anjum in June 2020.

Rawalpindi Division, which is most sensitive position has seen four commissioner since PTI government came to power. Capt Saif Anjum was replaced by Joudat Ayaz, who was shifted soon to be replaced by Capt Saquib, who was also changed prematurely to be replaced by incumbent Capt Mahmood. It is a bureaucratic gossip that real state developers were catalyst for all these premature transfers.

Recently Food Secretary Punjab was changed for the fifth time - it is worth remembering that wheat scam inquiry committee headed by DG FIA had also criticised the fact that food secretaries are changed so frequently. These repeated changes in the Food Department were considered one of the major reasons for the wheat crisis.

In the Food Department, Shaukat Ali was replaced by Naseem Sadiq, who was changed after two months, bringing in Zafar Nasar ullah who too was changed after four months to be replaced by Waqas Mahmood. Waqas Mahmood, who is son-in-law of former CEC Sardar Raza Khan, who supervised 2018 elections, was also replaced Sunday.

After last wheat scam, the Punjab government is again struggling with unprecedented rise in price of wheat and flour but nothing stops it from changing Food Secretary every now and then. New incumbent is Asad Rehman.

Federal government recently posted fourth Secretary Interior. No Secretary Interior has had tenure of more than four months. First the government appointed Yousaf Naseem Khokar as secretary interior then decided to replace him by Azam Suleman, who was again replaced by Yousaf Khokar when he was removed from position of CS Punjab. But two months later Azam Suleman was again replaced by Yousaf Naseem.

The musical chair also continues in the most important federal Ministry of Commerce. Four federal secretaries have been changed so far in less than two years of the PTI government. These officers include Younas Dagha, Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera, Yousaf Naseem Khokhar and the latest being Sauleh Farouqi.

Board of Investment also saw four chairmen during the PTI tenure so far. Sources said that of late the Punjab government has chosen a novel way to mask such rapid changes from public and media. The en mass transfers of secretaries and field functionaries approved by Chief Minister are notified in “piece meal” - two or three every day so that it should go unnoticed and not be highlighted. Normal tenure for such senior and leadership positions in bureaucracy is three years.

Civil administration and police postings in the province have also become a joke. Most divisions and districts of the province saw repeated changes of Commissioners, deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners, RPOs, DPOs etc. In DG Khan six commissioners and five deputy commissioners have been changed so far.

This situation on one hand is hurting the governance but on the other, it has seriously demoralised and demotivated the civilian bureaucracy, as no one is sure about his tenure.

The PTI in its manifesto had promised civil service reforms and respect for tenure of government servants but the bureaucrats have become a rolling stone like never before.