Govt mulls action against more PMS officers

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LAHORE – As some Provincial Management Service (PMS) officers return to work from the ongoing strike, administrative secretaries have proposed the chief secretary take action against those PMS officers who have dug their heels in and refused to call off their strike, Pakistan Today has learnt. A majority of section officers belonging to PMS have been abstaining from work due to the ongoing strike. Sources in the Punjab government told Pakistan Today that the authorities were assessing the situation and closely monitoring the officers not showing up in their offices.
“The government issued show cause notice to 29 officers who were also suspended from service. Now the government is considering taking action against more officers who are absent from duty,” sources said, adding the secretaries have prepared a list of such officers and requisitioned their replacements. Sources said the section officers who have called off the strike and rejoined their offices are from the health and home departments.
On the other hand, the Province Civil Service Officers’ Association held a press briefing in the Lahore Press Club on Friday and pointed out the “illegalities” performed during the arrest and detention of PMS officers, including women who were released after a couple of hours. They also highlighted the “brutal” treatment meted out to them during detention and afterwards. “We will resort to the legal remedy available as per law,” PCS Officers’ Association President Rai Manzur Nasir said. “We strongly condemn these colonial tactics by brown gora sahibs”.
Meanwhile, the Punjab chief secretary is said to have written to all DMG officers to deal with the PMS officers. However, senior DMG officers in the Secretariat deny getting any such instructions. Rebuffing such rumours, Services Secretary Sikandar Sultan Raja told Pakistan Today that both — the PMS officers and the District Management Group officers — are executive officers and it is only “propaganda” to “malign” the DMG, as no such letter has been written. He said action has already been initiated against the officers “It is not something new that action is being taken against those officers observing the strike.
how-cause notice has already been served on them. In fact more and more officers are calling off the strike and getting back to work,” he said.