July 29, 2003	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 28, 1424

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MUZAFFARABAD, July 28: Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan has termed the bureaucracy and political workers the two arms of the government and urged them to develop complete understanding with each other regarding the implementation of the rules and regulations.

Speaking on Monday at a gathering of the secretaries to the government, the premier said he had great respect for the bureaucracy and fought for their rights, privileges and integrity at every forum. He expressed the hope that the bureaucracy would not let him down by doing anything against the rules, regulations and merit.

Politicians and political workers, Sardar Sikandar said, would neither qualify any entry test to join politics nor would they undergo any training like that of government servants and therefore it was the bureaucracy’s responsibility to ensure that the government functioned in accordance with the rules and regulations.

The PM said the AJK had over 60 officers in grade 20 today and all that was due to the demands of the freedom movement. Otherwise, he said, a commissioner was enough to handle its whole affairs.

He regretted that every grade-20 officer wanted to be elevated as secretary, which was not possible.

“No officer is authorized to issue the certificate of good governance to the government. It is the right of the people who have elected to award such certificates,” he said in a clear reference to a grade-20 officer who was made OSD for publicly passing sarcastic remarks about government’s claims on “good governance and merit” in order to protest his posting in the recent bureaucratic reshuffle.

“I have protected the rights of the government servants, but no one should take undue advantage of our politeness and tolerance,” he said, asking the government servants to use their abilities for the welfare of the people.

“Governments keep on changing but you have a permanent status, therefore you should be more careful regarding the rules and regulations,” he told the secretaries.

He directed ministers and secretaries not to leave the station without prior intimation to and approval from the prime minister. However, he also instructed the secretaries to visit far-flung areas to have first-hand knowledge of the peoples’ problems.