May 23, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 17, 1429

ISLAMABAD, May 22: Life is finally about to return to the now desolated Central Secretariat of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) when party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari issued directives to the federal ministers belonging to the party to hold ‘open kutcheries’ at the historic secretariat on daily basis.

According to PPP spokesman Farhatullah Khan Babar, Mr Zardari has directed the provincial chief ministers, federal and provincial ministers belonging to the party to regularly hold ‘open kutcheries’ everyday to redress grievances of public and party workers.

The Central Secretariat, located in House No. 1, Street 85, Embassy Road, has been giving a deserted look since the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December last year due to shifting of the party’s activities to Zardari House in F-8/2, the residence of Mr Zardari.

According to Mr Zardari’s directive, all the provincial ministers will hold ‘open kutcheries’ at the provincial party headquarters in rotation — one minister will hold the kutchery as per schedule prepared by the chief ministers of Sindh and Balochistan and senior ministers in Punjab and the NWFP.

Mr Babar said the federal ministers had been directed to hold ‘kutchery’ in the PPP’s Central Secretariat, Islamabad, everyday in rotation as per schedule to be prepared by Kamran Zafar, the in charge of the secretariat.

The Central Secretariat in Islamabad will also prepare a schedule for the federal ministers for ‘open kutchery’ in the provincial capitals on weekly basis in coordination with the chief ministers of Sindh and Balochistan and senior ministers of Punjab and the NWFP. One kutchery in every provincial party headquarters will be held once a week, he said.

The ministers holding ‘kutchery’ have also been directed to prepare a report on the grievances and problems of the public and workers. The report will be given to the chief ministers or the senior ministers concerned who will compile a consolidated report and send it to the co-chairman’s Islamabad office on the first day of every month.

Mr Babar said the copies of the directive had also been sent to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, chief ministers of Sindh and Balochistan, senior ministers of Punjab and the NWFP, all PPP federal and provincial ministers, the party’s vice-chairman, secretary-general, deputy secretary general, provincial presidents and general secretaries for informing divisional/district/tehsil/city organisations and also to provincial president, women wing.

Meanwhile, UK High Commissioner Robert Edward Brinkley called on Mr Zardari in Islamabad on Thursday. During the meeting, the two sides discussed matters of mutual interest and Pak-UK relations.

Mr Babar said the newly-appointed Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, Law Minister Farooq Naek, country director of National Democratic Institute Sheila Fruman and adviser to the prime minister Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo also held separate meetings with Mr Zardari.