LAHORE, Dec 18: In what many call ‘an erratic mode of governance’, Punjab Information Secretary Oriya Maqbool Jan was abruptly removed from his post on Thursday, adding to the list of officers who, for reasons, could not do what was ‘expected’ of them.

The removal has further shaken the confidence of bureaucrats serving in the province who are struggling to know what could ensure stable postings for them.

Mr Jan was working as a joint secretary in the ministry of health when he was posted as Punjab information secretary on June 2, 2008.

He is another addition to the line of provincial secretaries who were picked for working in the province but were removed on a minor action which annoyed their superiors.

He was made an OSD with immediate effect and the additional charge of the post was given to Home Secretary Nadeem Hasan Asif who already has an extra responsibility of looking after the affairs of a town in Lahore.

Sources said Mr Jan’s transfer orders were issued when he was briefing a meeting which was presided over by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on the affairs of the controversial Punjab Entertainment Company and its major project, the IMAX Theatre.

The chief minister reportedly asked questions about the reasons of the delay in the import of the IMAX theatre equipment but the secretary said it was first required to build storage capacity for keeping the equipment safe.

Sources claimed the secretary’s transfer had come at a time when he was awaiting a decision on the return of the office equipment and vehicles of the Punjab Entertainment Company which had been allegedly taken away by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. He had through official letters demanded return of the equipment and the vehicles on the ground that they belonged to the company which still existed and was controversial.

The secretary had earlier objected to the unplanned demolition of structures in the Civil Secretariat and had recommended repair of its historic portions with original material.

Sources claimed that of the late the secretary had refused to allot some trust land to another trust while citing legal limitations.

Meanwhile, in bureaucratic circles the transfer was taken as another blow to officials’ independent working.

Interestingly, the officers facing sudden transfers included even those considered close to the provincial high-ups.

In this connection, an officer cited example of Capt Hashim Tarin who was considered very close to the chief secretary but was made an OSD within one week of his posting as transport secretary. This was his first posting as an administrative secretary.

Mr Tarin was posted after the temporary posting of Mr Maroof Afzal who was posted against Agha Nadeem. Now BS-19 officer Shahzad Cheema is the transport secretary.

The official also mentioned the recent sudden transfers of Local Government Secretary Khawaja Naeem and Communication and Works Secretary Jalal Sikandar Sultan, former a brother-in-law of PML-N hawk Khawaja Asif and the latter the son-in-law of Mian Shahbaz Sharif’s chief advisor on administration Saeed Mehdi.

“We have seen four food secretaries since the formation of the government. The director generals of PHA and LDA have also been changed twice during the period,” a senior official remarked.