A strong cold war has started between the federal and the Sindh provincial governments on the matter of Sindh Chief Secretary Sajjad Saleem Hotyana.
Earlier, the federal and the Sindh provincial governments had entered a phase of uneasiness on appointment of the Inspector General of Sindh. The PML-N government in the centre wanted to see former IG Motorway Police Zulfiquar Ahmed Cheema as IG Sindh Police but the Sindh government had declined to accept him for that post and appointed one from higher ranks in Sindh Police as the IG. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had politely showed his concern to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah in a meeting held at Sindh Governor House a few months back on the issue of lawlessness in the metropolis.
In recent days, the Sindh government had removed Hotyana from imparting his services as Sindh CS but later he declined to step down and according to certain reports, he had also asked the provincial secretaries to stay in their offices under his command as the CS.
The situation turned complicated when a question arose that whether or not Hotyana was legally incumbent chief secretary of the province. Besides, adherence of the CS to his post, a federal government portfolio, has created more confusion for the Sindh provincial government.
In order to trickle down the worsening scenario, the Sindh government on Sunday issued an explanation through its spokesperson wherein the later claimed that the Sindh government had not given any orders to Hotyana to continue as the CS of the province.
The spokesperson further said that the Sindh government had directed the CS Hotyana to comply with the directives and orders of the Sindh provincial government.
He claimed that the Sindh government had already handed Hotyana’s services back to the federal government and all statements issued from the CS’s office were baseless.
The well-aware sections in government disclosed that the ruling Pakistan People’s Party had serious reservations over the PMLN government in the centre. Amid ongoing political warmth, the two parties, PPP and PMLN, had also entered a battle to get the top slots in the Senate of Pakistan and the PMLN government in centre would show a display of tolerance on Hotyana’s case until the elections for the top slots in the Senate of Pakistan will get over.
The sources privy to the ongoing developments on the political and bureaucratic canvasses claimed that the tug of war between the PPP and PMLN would enter a devastating phase after the senate elections.
The sources also claimed that the PPP would only be in a better position to stay safe from any adventure as long as the sole powerful party in Sindh’ urban part, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement would stay beside the PPP. Otherwise, the overall political scenario in the Sindh province would be drastically changed.
