GUJRAT: The illegal practice of political interference in administrative affairs in Punjab is so deep rooted that neither the bureaucracy nor the PTI leadership can easily defy it, say experienced bureaucrats and seasoned politicians.

They suggest a ‘go slow’ policy for both sides to eliminate the menace through a gradual process otherwise both will find it hard to sustain.

The suggestion came from some senior and mid-career officers belonging to the civil services and PTI and PML-Q lawmakers Dawn talked to.

The Punjab chief secretary has reportedly conveyed a special message to the deputy commissioners to deal with the PTI lawmakers cordially in the wake of recent complaints by some deputy commissioners against alleged demands and rude behavior of some ruling party lawmakers for the transfer/posting of officials.

Reliable source told Dawn that the DCs had been told that the PTI government was taking the recent incidents of written complaints against its lawmakers as a conspiracy being hatched by the bureaucracy and to get rid of such an impression, the PTI legislators should be handled professionally and cordially.

An officer belonging to the Pakistan Administrative Service who served on various positions in Punjab during the last one decade said on the condition of anonymity that the PTI leadership should have the knowledge of cultural difference between the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and Punjab to fix such problems of political meddling as the DCs who had raised the issue of interference might have tried to take benefit of PTI leadership’s resolve to eliminate the practice from the country.

“Practically it is even more difficult for the PTI government to survive against the pressure of its own lawmakers who are used to influencing transfers and postings,” he said, adding the law-makers should have known the fact that most of the officers serving on key administrative posts in the districts had been posted by the caretaker government and they (lawmakers) should have waited for the possible reshuffle of senior officers at the district level by the new PTI government to put forward such demands.

The Punjab chief minister and his team have already held interviews of various civil servants for their future postings and reshuffle may start by by the end of this week, said an official source.

He said senior politicians belonging to the ruling alliance as well as those officers in the bureaucracy who remained sidelined during the last 10 years rule of the PML-N in Punjab have been lobbying to get choice positions. “Seasoned politicians always try to get people of their liking posted against coveted slots and then get their jobs done.”

A senior parliamentarian said ultimately the lawmakers would prevail due to relatively a weak government of PTI in terms of numbers game in Punjab. He said a certain lot in the PTI lawmakers comprising some traditional politicians might try to blackmail the party government in case of latter’s possible harsh policy towards political interference as well as their demand of uplift funds for the respective constituencies.

He said though the PTI government had hinted at utilizing uplift funds through the local bodies institutions, it would never be acceptable to the lawmakers who had got votes through making commitments to resolve basic issues of their respective constituencies.

It is learnt that PTI allies in government have also advised the federal and provincial governments not to ignore the uplift schemes proposed by the lawmakers.

The source said that the PML-Q leadership had conveyed to the PTI leadership about its reservations on the possible policy of not issuing funds to the schemes proposed by the lawmakers and also suggested to avoid the proposal of electing the district nazims through direct votes in the proposed local government system in Punjab.

Afzal Gondal, a PTI leader from Gujranwala region, said that Chairman Imran Khan had built his narrative on anti-corruption agenda but at the same time he had let the most corrupt lot of other parties enter into the PTI folds that was why he had selected a wrong team mostly comprising tainted people. “If any body from this corrupt lot faces anti-corruption watchdogs, he would resort to blackmailing the PTI. This situation may result in system’s collapse,” he warned.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2018