LAHORE: The indecision on part of the federal as well as Punjab governments is deepening the administrative confusion with no Punjab chief secretary in the office until late on Friday evening.

Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal’s two-week leave and acting chief secretary Abdullah Khan Sumbal’s additional charge concluded on Friday afternoon. The civil bureaucracy remained clueless as no officer was given charge of the top administration office in the province by the weekend.

Sources say the chief minister’s office is getting indications that Kamran Ali Afzal may be given posting somewhere in the federal government and therefore, he did not apply for extension in leave. They say the Punjab government is looking to extend the acting charge tenure of Abdullah Khan Sumbal for another two weeks, if the federal government pays no heed to the governance crisis in the absence of a regular chief secretary in the province.

TRANSFERS: OSD Agha Muhammad Ali Abbas has been posted Managing Director Tourism Department Corporation, Punjab (TDCP) in his own pay and scale against a vacant post, relieving tourism department secretary Ehsan Bhutta of additional charge of the post.

OSD Amjad Bashir has been posted additional secretary cooperatives department. Muhammad Shabbir Ahmad Khan, who was officiating as additional secretary cooperatives department, has been transferred and posted additional secretary agriculture department.

Agriculture department Additional Secretary Ali Arshad has been transferred and posted additional director-general Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), Punjab, Lahore.

Additional PHA DG Lahore Taseer Ahmad has been transferred and posted Director (Development and Finance), Gujranwala, against a vacant post.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (finance and planning), Gujrat, was transferred and posted deputy director Overseas Pakistanis Commission, Punjab, Lahore, against a vacant post.

ADC (General), Gujrat, Afzal Hayat Tarar was transferred and posted as ADC (finance and planning), Gujrat. ADC (General), Attock, has been transferred and posted as ADC (General, Gujrat, in his own pay and scale.

Punjab Tourism Department Deputy Secretary Muhammad Farooq Akmal was transferred and posted Director Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA) against a vacant post.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2022