LAHORE – Punjab’s all powerfull bureaucracy has started to revolt againstthe National Accountability Bureau arrest of the top bureaucrat fromPunjab, Ahad Cheema.
Punjab’s bureaucracy feels threatened by the NAB’s unprecedented move inthe province and a specific group considered close to the ruling family hasstaged a strike.
Bureaucrats of Punjab on Friday stopped working in response to what theycall it misuse of authority and harassment by the National AccountabilityBureau (NAB) during the course of corruption investigations, local mediareported.
The Punjab Civil Secretariat went into lockdwon after DMG group officerclosed their officers in a protest over the arrest of former directorgeneral of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Ahad Cheema in AshianaHousing Scheme scandal by the NAB.
Reports say a meeting of the civil servants is underway at GOR PunjabSecretariat under Additional Chief Secretary Umar Rasool. The officers aredemanding the immediate release of Cheema, who has also been promoted toGrade 20 by the Cabinet Division.
On Thursday, the government officers in Pakistan’s biggest province calledfor action against the officials of NAB over their alleged misuse ofauthority and harassment.
The officers, including secretaries, commissioners and inspector general ofPolice, convened a meeting in Lahore on Thursday, where they warned ofquitting office work till the federal and the Punjab government takesmeasures for protection of public servants’ rights.
A resolution, highlighting serious concerns over the harassment andhumiliation, was also submitted to CM Shehbaz Sharif.
The resolution states: “The administrative secretaries and divisionalcommissioners in the Punjab, in a meeting today (Feb 22), have expressedtheir serious concerns over the harassment and humiliation being meted outto the public servants in the province by brazen misuse of authority andgross abuse of discretion for extraneous considerations by the NABfunctionaries in the Punjab.”
“Such uncalled for actions have caused deep anxiety and sense of insecurityamong the public servants which is detrimental to the normal governmentfunctioning. Federal Government and Punjab Government should take measuresfor the due protection of the rights and human dignity of the publicservants serving in Punjab,” it adds.
The resolution further reads “it must be ensured that the NAB functionariesexercise their powers in a fair, just and transparent manner in publicinterest and strictly in accordance with law.”
Also, according to the resolution, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, MianSaqib Nisar, being custodian of fundamental rights, “may take suo mottocognizance of the matter”.
The move follows the arrest of Ahad Cheem over illegal allotment of landfor Ashiana Housing Scheme in the Punjab capital.
Established by an ordinance in 1999, the National Accountability Bureau isan autonomous and constitutionally established federal institutionresponsible to build efforts against corruption and prepare criticalnational economic intelligence assessments against economic terrorism tothe Government of Pakistan.
The anti-corruption watchdog is empowered to undertake any necessaryprevention and awareness, in all means, in addition to enforce itsoperations against the economic terrorism and financial crimes.
With its chief headquarters located in Islamabad, it has four regionaloffices in the four provinces of the country as well as four capitalterritories of the country. As of present, the institution is constitutedand directed by its current chairman, Justice (r) Javed Iqbal.