LAHORE: The Punjab government on Monday transferred Punjab Educa-tion Foundation (PEF) Managing Director (MD) Shamim Asif on the recommendations of PEF Chairman Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi.

Earlier, Mr Abbasi, an MPA, had submitted a privilege motion in the provincial assembly, levelling various allegations against Mr Asif. The assembly’s Committee on Privileges that deals with such privilege motions had held a meeting on June 4 that was attended by its Chairman MPA Ali Akhtar, seven other members, Mr Abbasi and School Education Secretary Sarah Aslam.

The motion had stated that Mr Asif stopped funds to some of the schools over allegations that their students were fake, adding that the MD should have inquired into the matter properly before stopping the funds because his action could create financial crisis for the staff. Even the PEF chairman had advised him to call a meeting of the foundation’s Board of Governors (BoG) to resolve the issue, but the advice was ignored. Instead, the MD called the BoG members and asked them not to attend the meeting called by the PEF chairman, the motion stated.

Committee on Privileges Chairman MPA Akhtar questioned Mr Asif when he appeared before the committee as to why he wrote letters to BoG members in violation of rules advising them not to attend a meeting called by the PEF chairman. Mr Asif could not answer the queries and remained silent.

MPA Akhtar observed that Mr Asif was incompetent and trying to conceal facts and figures. He tried to create an atmosphere that might have led to a misunderstanding between the PEF chairman and the school education minister. He advised School Education Secretary Sarah Aslam to transfer the PEF MD, while on the recommendations of the committee the PEF chairman stopped Mr Asif from working.

A notification available with Dawn states: “Mr Shamim Asif (PMS IBS-20), managing director of the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF), is hereby transferred with immediate effect and directed to report to Services and General Administration Department, Government of the Punjab, for further orders.”

It further stated that Nadeem Samar, director general of the Punjab Housing Town Planning Agency, was promoted to BS-20 to the rank of secretary to the Punjab government/commissioner of the division and other equivalent posts (BS-20) on officiating basis in his cadre and also transferred and posted as the PEF MD.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2020