November 16, 2006	Thursday	Shawwal 23, 1427

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LAHORE, Nov 15: In a surprise move, the Punjab government on Wednesday removed all advisers and special assistants to the chief minister. The move comes a day after 19 advisers to the Punjab government and an adviser to the chief minister were sent home in pursuance of a Lahore High Court judgment on a writ petition.

The fresh decision, according to sources, is ‘consequential’ to the Oct 18 judgment.

Declaring the appointment of all advisers to the provincial government illegal, the court had nevertheless held that under the law the provincial government could appoint five advisers and as many special assistants to the chief minister.

The advisers to the chief minister removed on Wednesday are Col Shujat Ahmad Khan (retired), Maj Asghar Hayat Kalyar (retired), Rana Ijaz Ahmad Khan, Malik Khalid Mahmood Waran and Hafiz Mohammad Iqbal Khan Khakwani.

The removed special assistants are Dr Sohail Zafar Cheema, Makhdoom Ali Akbar, Syed Mawahid Husain and Javaid Malik.

Adviser to the Punjab government Hafiz Mohammad Tahir Ashrafi who was removed on Tuesday and Rana Ejaz Ahmad Khan were the choice of the Punjab governor. Their removal is being termed significant with regard to the future course of action of the provincial government.

Sources said through Wednesday’s action, Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi had created a room for appointing `right’ persons against the legally permitted posts of his advisers and special assistants.

The criteria for the new appointments would be their `fitness’ for the job and political adjustments which the chief minister wanted to make in view of the next general elections, they said.

“Yes, the court had not declared the appointment of advisers and the special assistants to the chief minister illegal. But the judgment has provided an opportunity to the government to shed the unwanted burden,” they claimed.

No agenda: The Punjab government has no significant agenda for the provincial assembly session starting on Thursday (today).

The session had mainly been convened to fulfil a legal obligation under which the assembly was to meet at least for 70 days in a parliamentary year which ends on Nov 24.

According to official sources, the session would last for seven days and there were two laws on the agenda and they too were not significant.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary party meetings of the government and the opposition would be held before the session scheduled to begin at 3pm. Both sides would also finalise their plans to run the assembly before the commencement of the session.