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ISLAMABAD: The top bosses in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seem to have overlooked the Punjab chief ministers statement that the Presidency remote-controls the caretaker prime minister but the premiers spokesman has denied this, asking did Najam Sethi get a penny from the president.
The Election Commission sources confided to The News that the statement of the Punjab chief minister was read even by the commission members but it was deemed fit to ignore it for the reason that Mir Hazar Khan Khoso was the choice of the ECP for the slot of caretaker prime minister.
Punjab Chief Minister Najam Sethi had surprised many on Sunday by conveying that the Presidency was still playing the role of the real power centre in the country. Sethi had said that the caretaker PM had advised him to speak to the president about load-shedding in Punjab.
Addressing a ceremony, Sethi revealed that when he informed the caretaker PM regarding the deteriorating situation of electricity load-shedding in Punjab and requested him for a grant, the caretaker PM straightforwardly advised him to contact President Asif Ali Zardari.
Later, Sethi said he met the president, who had promised that he would order the federal finance secretary to release the funds of Rs150 billion.
When approached, the prime ministers spokesman denied that Khoso is a remote-controlled premier, and put a counter question if Sethi got the money he sought from the president. Then he chose to reply himself: He did not. Although, the spokesman categorically denied the Presidencys control over the caretaker government, sources in the bureaucracy suggest otherwise and support the impression given by the caretaker Punjab chief minister.
The sources insist that Prime Minister Khoso is being remote-controlled from the Presidency in real time, adding a former law minister interacts with Prime Minister Khoso on almost daily basis, with instructions from the Presidency on day to day conduct of the caretaker government. As per the constitution, the president has to act on the advice of the prime minister but PM Khoso is acting the other way round. He is acting on the advice of the Presidency, a source said. The former minister, who regularly talks to Khoso, is said to have a key role in influencing the ECP in favour of Khosos appointment as caretaker prime minister.
The sources said that after having been influenced the caretaker PM did not appoint former chief secretary Punjab Nasir Khosa, a well reputed and extremely upright senior civil servant, as chief secretary Sindh, despite orders of the ECP.
Instead Nasir Khosa was appointed as federal secretary finance but was removed after just 12 days without citing any plausible reason. Insiders in the Finance Ministry said the reputed secretary rebuffed certain efforts to control the ministry following which he was immediately removed by the caretaker PM.
PM Khoso, it is said, was appraised of the fact that the manner in which Nasir Khosa was being removed after 12 days is a violation of the Supreme Court orders in Anita Turab Ali case, but he still went ahead with his decision to oblige others.
It is said that the controversial handling of energy circular debt by the caretakers, Steel Mills crisis, scandalous OGDC contracts and FBR amnesty scheme were some of the issues on which PM Khoso succumbed to demands from powerful quarters and removed the secretary finance. Instead of Khosa, the prime minister in violation of the ECP directives opted to transfer one Ejaz Chaudhry as chief secretary Sindh. Ejaz has been deputy commissioner in Nawabshah, the hometown of President Zardari.
A similar appointment was made as principal secretary to the prime minister. Khawaja Siddique Akbar, who has been secretary interior with Rehman Malik for almost two years, is now principal secretary to the PM. It is also intriguing that despite lapse of one month, the federal information secretary, who was one of the leading bureaucrats serving the past regime, has not been changed. Similarly not even a single officer of ICT administration from chief commissioner to IGP down the line to SSP and DC has been changed.
Many eyebrows are also being raised over the frequent meetings of the caretaker chief executives with the president thus raising the fundamental question if the caretakers are fulfilling their duties as per their oath which pledges that they will not allow their personal interest to influence their official conduct or their official decisions.
PMs spokesman said Khoso had met the president only once. About a former federal ministers regular contact with the PM, the spokesman said anyone can meet or talk to the prime minister but it is absolutely wrong that he is under the influence of the Presidency.
But when I called the Prime Minister House phone number 051-9222666 and the operator put the call on hold, a recording started playing and it was the speeches of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and PPP present chairman Bilawal Zardari. This also shows caretaker government has not yet come out of the shadows of the PPP regime.
Ansar Abbasi
Thursday, April 25, 2013
From Print Edition
Is PM free or remote-controlled? - thenews.com.pk
The Election Commission sources confided to The News that the statement of the Punjab chief minister was read even by the commission members but it was deemed fit to ignore it for the reason that Mir Hazar Khan Khoso was the choice of the ECP for the slot of caretaker prime minister.
Punjab Chief Minister Najam Sethi had surprised many on Sunday by conveying that the Presidency was still playing the role of the real power centre in the country. Sethi had said that the caretaker PM had advised him to speak to the president about load-shedding in Punjab.
Addressing a ceremony, Sethi revealed that when he informed the caretaker PM regarding the deteriorating situation of electricity load-shedding in Punjab and requested him for a grant, the caretaker PM straightforwardly advised him to contact President Asif Ali Zardari.
Later, Sethi said he met the president, who had promised that he would order the federal finance secretary to release the funds of Rs150 billion.
When approached, the prime ministers spokesman denied that Khoso is a remote-controlled premier, and put a counter question if Sethi got the money he sought from the president. Then he chose to reply himself: He did not. Although, the spokesman categorically denied the Presidencys control over the caretaker government, sources in the bureaucracy suggest otherwise and support the impression given by the caretaker Punjab chief minister.
The sources insist that Prime Minister Khoso is being remote-controlled from the Presidency in real time, adding a former law minister interacts with Prime Minister Khoso on almost daily basis, with instructions from the Presidency on day to day conduct of the caretaker government. As per the constitution, the president has to act on the advice of the prime minister but PM Khoso is acting the other way round. He is acting on the advice of the Presidency, a source said. The former minister, who regularly talks to Khoso, is said to have a key role in influencing the ECP in favour of Khosos appointment as caretaker prime minister.
The sources said that after having been influenced the caretaker PM did not appoint former chief secretary Punjab Nasir Khosa, a well reputed and extremely upright senior civil servant, as chief secretary Sindh, despite orders of the ECP.
Instead Nasir Khosa was appointed as federal secretary finance but was removed after just 12 days without citing any plausible reason. Insiders in the Finance Ministry said the reputed secretary rebuffed certain efforts to control the ministry following which he was immediately removed by the caretaker PM.
PM Khoso, it is said, was appraised of the fact that the manner in which Nasir Khosa was being removed after 12 days is a violation of the Supreme Court orders in Anita Turab Ali case, but he still went ahead with his decision to oblige others.
It is said that the controversial handling of energy circular debt by the caretakers, Steel Mills crisis, scandalous OGDC contracts and FBR amnesty scheme were some of the issues on which PM Khoso succumbed to demands from powerful quarters and removed the secretary finance. Instead of Khosa, the prime minister in violation of the ECP directives opted to transfer one Ejaz Chaudhry as chief secretary Sindh. Ejaz has been deputy commissioner in Nawabshah, the hometown of President Zardari.
A similar appointment was made as principal secretary to the prime minister. Khawaja Siddique Akbar, who has been secretary interior with Rehman Malik for almost two years, is now principal secretary to the PM. It is also intriguing that despite lapse of one month, the federal information secretary, who was one of the leading bureaucrats serving the past regime, has not been changed. Similarly not even a single officer of ICT administration from chief commissioner to IGP down the line to SSP and DC has been changed.
Many eyebrows are also being raised over the frequent meetings of the caretaker chief executives with the president thus raising the fundamental question if the caretakers are fulfilling their duties as per their oath which pledges that they will not allow their personal interest to influence their official conduct or their official decisions.
PMs spokesman said Khoso had met the president only once. About a former federal ministers regular contact with the PM, the spokesman said anyone can meet or talk to the prime minister but it is absolutely wrong that he is under the influence of the Presidency.
But when I called the Prime Minister House phone number 051-9222666 and the operator put the call on hold, a recording started playing and it was the speeches of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and PPP present chairman Bilawal Zardari. This also shows caretaker government has not yet come out of the shadows of the PPP regime.
Ansar Abbasi
Thursday, April 25, 2013
From Print Edition
Is PM free or remote-controlled? - thenews.com.pk
