Saturday, September 14, 2019
The government in Pakistan’s most populous province has undergone several changes. And the word on the street is that there are more to come. Since the PTI came to power in the province, its cabinet and administration officials has left in either firings or resignations.
Geo.tv tracks down the major upheavals in the Punjab administration in the last 13 months:
Soon after coming to power, a new cabinet, including 23 provincial ministers, were sworn in by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led Punjab government.
In September 2018, the cabinet was further expanded by adding 12 new ministries, bringing its total strength to 35.
The only senior minister in Punjab, Abdul Aleem Khan, who held the portfolio of local government and community development, was arrested by the anti-graft body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Once in custody, Khan resigned from his post in the cabinet. While Khan’s ministry was handed over to the provincial law minister. Today, the former minister is out on bail, yet he has not be handed charge of his previous ministry.
Punjab’s controversial information minister, Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan, is removed from office in February, due to his derogatory remarks towards the Hindu community. A few months later, the newly-appointed info minister, Samsam Bukhari, is also axed, and replaced by Mian Aslam Iqbal, who is given the additional portfolio of information. He already is the minister of industries, commerce and investment.
In the same July shuffle, Raja Yasir Humayun is deprived of the tourism ministry, leaving him with only one portfolio, of higher education.
Separately, the Punjab government adds two new portfolios. Bukhari is made minister of consolidation and holdings, while Muhammad Ajmal is given the portfolio of the chief minister’s inspection team.
Four Inspector Generals were changed in the last one year. In April, the government finally appointed Captain (r) Arif Nawaz Khan as the new chief police officer in the province.
The spokesperson of the chief minister Punjab, Dr Shahbaz Gill, called it quits, while the special advisor to the chief minister, Awn Chaudhry, is given the slip.