A member of the elite cadre of the Civil Service of Pakistan Chief Secretary Punjab Kamran Ali Afzal has been granted two weeks earned leave replacing Muhammad Abdullah Khan Sumbal for the slot on Friday.
Issuing notification in the matter on Friday, Service and General Administration Department (S&GAD) ordered that an officer of grade 21, Sumbal, incumbent Chairman, Planning & Development Board Punjab shall look after the routine work of the office of the Chief Secretary Punjab in addition to his own duties. It added that Sumbal shall perform the duties as Chief Secretary during leave period of grade 22 officer Kamran Ali Afzal till September 30,2022.
Sumbal to look after the CS office till September 30 – Randhawa , Special Secretary Budget & Resources Punjab will look after charge of the provincial finance department additionally
Provincial Finance Secretary Iftikhar Amjad services relieved with immediate effect to report to Establishment Division Islamabad on Friday wherein Special Secretary Budget & Resources Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Ali Randhawa has been assigned look after charge of the Secretary to Punjab Finance department in addition to his own duties till the final posting of regular incumbent.
After Afzal leave, rescue relief, recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in the existing catastrophic flood in the province may take place in accordance to the vision of Chief Minister Elahi.
It is pertinent to mention that exactly a year ago during former prime minister Imran Khan tenure, Afzal appointment was approved when PTI’s Usman Buzdar was Chief Minister of the province. He was the fifth Punjab chief secretary during the three years of the previous PTI-led government and belonged to the 21st Common of the District Management Group.
Soon after he was elected Chief Minister of the Punjab, Parvez Elahi had expressed his annoyance at Afzal and former police chief Rao Sardar Ali Khan over their action against PTI legislators and deploying the police force on the floor of the Punjab Assembly earlier this year.
Besides, PTI Chairman Imran Khan, in his public meetings, had also lambasted the chief secretary, former police chief, as well as commissioners and deputy commissioners — particularly those posted in Lahore and Layyah in the wake of the PTI’s long march on Islamabad on May 25.
It is pertinent to mention that tussle between center and Punjab government over appointment of provincial Chief Secretary (CS) also witnessed a dent in working relationship of Chief Executive Pervaiz Elahi and the CS office amid causing severe governance crisis.
During last month, Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has desired that one of the officers – Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera (BS-22), Abdullah Khan Sumbal (BS-21) and Babar Hayat Tarar (BS-22) – may be considered for the posting of the Punjab chief secretary in order of priority,”. Earlier during August this year, the CM’s principal secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti wrote to the secretary Establishment Division whose copy was also forwarded to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. However, center has denied the desire of Elahi.
In yet another development, Additional Secretary Higher Education Department Khalid Pervaiz was transferred and made officer on special duty (OSD) while Maria Tariq was appointed in his place instead. Similarly, Rashid Irshad was posted as additional secretary local bodies’ department.
