Two blue-eyed face Presidency’s ire for ‘lying’ as caretaker ministers get offices

3
186

Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso on Wednesday allocated portfolios to the caretaker members of the federal cabinet.

According to the notification, Arif Nizami would serve as minister for information and postal service, Malik Habib as minister for interior and narcotics control, Ahmer Bilal Soofi as minister for law, justice, parliamentary affairs and human rights, Dr Musaddiq Malik as minister for water and power, Shahzada Ahsan Ashraf Sheikh as minister for industries and production, Maqbool HH Rahmatoola as minister for textile and commerce, Abdul Malik Kasi as minister for railways, Asadullah Mandokhel as minister for ports and shipping and communication, Mir Hassan Domki as minister for food security and inter-provincial coordination, Dr Sania Nishter as minister for science and technology, IT, professional training and education, Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel as minister for overseas Pakistanis foundation, Dr Younis Soomro as minister for housing and works while Shahzada Jamal had been given the portfolio of minister for religious, national harmony, regulation and heritage.

However, conspicuously, no portfolio was allocated to Sohail Wajahat and neither was any official word available about the controversy.

 

THE CONTROVERSY:

 

Moreover, no official announcement was made about the important subjects of foreign, finance and defence ministries.

A source told Pakistan Today that the prime minister would be keeping the office of the Foreign Ministry with him while it had been decided that defence minister would not be appointed.

The source, however, added that there was no official signal as to who would be the next finance minister yet.

“Hectic lobbying is going on to seek pardon for Wajahat and Dr Musaddiq Khan, who had embarrassed their benefactors. Both lied to the Presidency about their official responsibilities with the PSO and the SBP respectively. They also embarrassed their lobbyists including former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain. This is the reason that Wajahat, who had been sworn in as a minister, was not allocated a portfolio while the last minute intervention by the SBP governor had averted the swearing in of Dr Mushtaq Khan,” added the source.

Wajahat was serving as the chairman of the Pakistan State Oil (PSO), a state-run organisation while Dr Mushtaq was serving as the chief economist of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) when the announcement was made. However, both none of the two tendered their resignations before the oath.

“Dr Mushtaq may be sworn in a day or two if he resigns from the SBP. But he would also have to clarify his position,” the source said, adding that Wajahat had embarrassed his lobbyist, Dr Asim Hussain.

It was mentioned in the audit report of 2011-12 that perks and privileges given to Wajahat as PSO chairman were ‘illegal’ and the Audit Department had also recommended that the amount spent on his perks and privileges be recovered. The facilities approved by the PSO board for its chairman cost over Rs 2.4 million per month, the report added.

 

INFORMATION MINISTER TAKES CHARGE:

 

Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Postal Services Arif Nizami took charge on Wednesday. Upon his arrival at the Ministry of Information, Nizami was given a briefing.

Information Secretary Agha Nadeem briefed the minister about the working of the ministry. The meeting was attended by media chiefs and senior officials of the ministry.

Later, chairing a meeting, Nizami said the holding of free and fair elections was the top priority of the interim government. He said the government would fully facilitate national and international media during the elections so that they could perform their duties in accordance with their professional ethos.

Nizami said the official media should adopt a balanced approach and maintain a level of neutrality in reporting events. “We are staunch advocates of media freedom and can never allow any sort of curbs on the media,” he said, adding, “Pakistan is a functional democracy where the media and the judiciary are fully independent and the civil society is vibrant.”

He said there was no hurdle in a smooth democratic transition in the country.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Sania was not given Health As Health is provancial matter. Sania can still hold vertical programs & projects of Health. Sania Congratulations.

  2. Honorable Dr. Sania Nishter,
    Care taker Minister, for Science and Technology,

    Firstly we congratulate you for taking charge as Care taker Minister for Science and Technology, We also congratulate your Ministry of Science & Technology Government of Pakistan for the better performance of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority PSQCA, doing heroic role with its short Man power in its best limited capacity and getting appreciation in all quarters of civil society NGO’s and Consumer’s as well.

    We appreciate the all initiatives your ministry has taken for the betterment of PSQCA. This is appreciable that Mr. Pir Buksh Jamali Director General PSQCA and his team right after taking his charge doing best to control the manufacture of unregistered and substandard products and check their quality not only in open Markets but the factories where these illegal products are manufactured. We not only appreciate these bold steps of the Director General and entire his team but requested him to continue this practice in public interest not only in big cities but also in interior remote areas of the country. We also demands that PSQCA take action according the laws against all those products which do not meet the requirement of relevant products, because uses of such products are hazardous for consumer’s health.

    The Consumer Eye Pakistan (TCEP) has been working with PSQCA since 2005 and actively involved in improving quality and standards of the citizens by advocating accountability and code of conduct in government and society to promote quality and standards and the use of PSQCA quality assurance logo on their products. TCEP is the vocal authoritative voice for consumers in Pakistan, building a powerful movement to help protect and empower consumers in Pakistan and to create consumer awareness against substandard and unregistered products.

    The Consumer Eye Pakistan (TCEP) always offer our services and would happily to be part of your in all of your good initiatives for the betterment of Consumers of Pakistan when ever and where ever required; as our representatives have been going with the raiding Mobile Task force, conducting, monitoring their transparent activities since 2009. The Consumer Eye Pakistan (TCEP) sincerely hope that your efforts as an honest and straight forward honorable Minster will be succeeded and there will be more visible and improved changes in the future for the performance of PSQCA.

    Thanking you in anticipation and assuring you our full support and cooperation in promoting quality and standards and protecting consumers from unregistered, counterfeit and substandard product in our country.

    Yours Sincerely,
    For “The Consumers Eye Pakistan” (TCEP).
    (M. Umar Ghauri)
    Chairman

  3. My dear countrymen and women
    Sad but hard and bitter reality- In this country Dr.Musadik Malik is energy Adviser. Pharmacists by profession turned into sophisticated con artist, Dr.Musadik Malik , will be caught in soon to face a string of fraud charges. He was on the Laos's most wanted list for several years for his alleged involvement in an elaborate scheme that involve trafficking of minor girls for Arab Sheiks.

Comments are closed.