LAHORE: In an important development late on Thursday night, the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS formerly known as DMG) officials decided to stop work from today (Friday) all over the province in protest against the way, what they said, former LDA director general was arrested, and reach Lahore from all districts to lodge a protest and devise a future course of action.

“All PAS officials from all stations in Punjab including divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, ACs etc., are reaching Lahore today in protest against the humiliating arrest. We will not work and leave behind just one AC to handle emergencies,” said Additional Chief Secretary Umer Rasool.

He said none but the PAS decided the move and they would not work till their dignity was protected.

The decision came after a delegation of senior PAS officers, who were led by the chief secretary, called on the chief minister to convey him a resolution adopted by a secretaries committee meeting earlier in the day, urging him to take note of the humiliation the civil servants felt the way Mr Cheema was arrested.

PAS officials may stop work from today; secretaries panel submits resolution to CM

The chief minister convened a cabinet meeting for Friday. But the late night development triggered speculations that the government was behind the move.

Punjab government spokesperson Malik Muhammad Ahmad nevertheless strongly rebutted the impression saying the PML-N government could not afford such a strike as it would stop work on its development projects. The government wanted to handle the matter of Mr Cheema’s arrest and humiliation of the officials through legal means.

He said actually these were the opposition political parties which were giving a political tilt to the issue. “We cannot afford people showing annoyance over the non-availability of officials in their offices,” he said.

Earlier, especially perturbed were those [officers] considered closely working with the chief minister. The rest were also annoyed because of what they said the manner one of their colleagues was picked and produced in the court.

The reaction was shown during a marathon meeting of the secretaries committee which was presided over by the chief secretary in the Civil Secretariat. All provincial secretaries and divisional commissioners attended the meeting that also affected work in most departments.

Mr Cheema, who is heading Quaid-i-Azam Thermal Power Company, was arrested from his Gulberg office on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in Lahore’s Ashiyana-i-Iqbal Housing scam, causing a stir in the chief minister’s camp.

Around 70 civil servants belonging to the Pakistan Administrative Service (formerly known as DMG) had gathered in the GOR-I immediately after the arrest of Mr Cheema on Tuesday night, strongly protesting against the action taken by NAB.

Some of the mid-career officials reportedly took liberty with the chief secretary in their urge to respond to NAB “in the same fashion”. Sources said some wanted registration of a case against NAB officials while some others wanted a protest demonstration.

But senior among the present told their more frustrated junior colleagues that NAB was another state institution and bureaucrats should not encounter it aggressively. Any course of action should be taken after assessing all pros and cons.

“We should behave like officers. We should not opt for an FIR against NAB officials. We must adopt methods which could improve the situation rather than deteriorating it,” a senior official told some of the annoyed officials considered close to the chief minister.

The bureaucracy on Thursday adopted a legal way by convening the secretaries committee meeting provided in the Rules of Business. A resolution was adopted which was presented to the chief minister and also forwarded to the judiciary for action and protection.

The resolution was taken to the chief minister by a five-member team of seniors including the chief secretary, additional chief secretary (home) and chairman P&D for adopting future course of action.

Sources said the team apprised the chief minister of the reaction shown by the bureaucracy to the arrest of Mr Cheema and its desire to counter NAB. The chief minister received the resolution and convened a cabinet meeting on Friday to discuss the issue with his team members.

A copy of the resolution obtained by Dawn says: “The administrative secretaries and divisional commissioners in Punjab, in a meeting (on Thursday), have expressed their serious concern over the harassment and humiliation being meted out to the public servants in the province by brazen misuse of authority and gross abuse of discretion for extraneous considerations by the NAB functionaries in the province.

“Such uncalled for actions have caused deep anxiety and sense of insecurity among the public servants which is detrimental to the normal government functioning. The federal and the provincial government should take measures for the due protection of the rights and human dignity of the public servants serving in Punjab.

It must be ensured that the NAB functionaries exercise their powers in a fair, just and transparent manner in public interest and strictly in accordance with law. Chief Justice of Pakistan, being custodian of fundamental rights may take suo motu cognizance of the matter.”

Official said copies of the resolution were also sent to the federal and all provincial governments for convening meetings of their secretaries committees to ponder over the “threat to the bureaucracy. Copies were also sent to the CJP and Lahore High Court for their intimation and action.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2018