Secretaries at the helm of affairs as CM Shahbaz caught up in current political impasse
The senior bureaucracy in Punjab has taken a temporary sigh of relief as amidst the ongoing political crisis the ‘iron hand’ of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is busy handling the situation at the Center.
“The secretaries are making important decisions for the time being because of the current impasse at the Center which has diverted the attention of the Punjab CM,” a senior official told Pakistan Today.
Famous for keeping things under his direct control, Shahbaz used to call meetings at his Model Town, Raiwind and GOR-I residences even at odd hours. Senior bureaucrats always had to be on their toes in case the CM called meetings on short notice after hours.
However, during the prevalent political crisis, the CM has not summoned any such meetings.
A senior official told Pakistan Today on the condition of anonymity, “It has been quite some time that the CM called secretaries for a meeting or briefing which is very unusual as the CM is famous for micro-managing things.”
This has also given a sense of unbridled empowerment to secretaries after a long spell, he said.
“Previously, the CM Secretariat used to manage all matters, including transfer, postings and policy matters.”
He said that the offices of the chief secretary and the additional chief secretary had recently been reduced to merely a post office for passing on directions issued from the CM Secretariat.
“Now it has also got a semblance of authority true to such big offices,” the official added.
Observers are of the view that the present situation has blown the lid off Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s style of governance where government officials have been totally “sidelined” and only the top leadership is calling the shots.
