Qureshi announces achievement of 'major milestone' in creation of South Punjab province

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi referred to the Punjab government's recent move to appoint high level bureaucrats to the South Punjab secretariat as a "major milestone" in the creation of the new province, on Tuesday.

"This achievement is testament to our commitment to fulfil our promise to the people of Pakistan. I congratulate the people of Southern Punjab and I thank my Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI for his vision and support," he wrote on Twitter.

The tweet by the foreign minister comes a day after the Punjab government made the South Punjab civil secretariat functional by appointing 10 administrative secretaries.

According to a notification, special secretary health M Ajmal Bhatti has been transferred and posted as secretary health South Punjab, additional secretary (budget) Finance Department Obaidullah Anwar has been appointed as secretary finance South Punjab, Shoaib Iqbal Syed, programme director Punjab Resource Management Programme (PRMP), as secretary Planning and Development Department (P&D) South Punjab.

Other appointments included Raja Khurram Shahzad, DG Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), as secretary local government South Punjab, Liaquat Ali Chattha, OSD, as secretary housing South Punjab, Saqib Ali Ateel, commissioner Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) Multan, as secretary agriculture South Punjab, Aftab Ahmad Pirzada, additional commissioner Bahawalpur, as secretary livestock and dairy development South Punjab and Naushin Malik, director development and finance Bahawalpur as secretary services South Punjab.

Moreover Additional Chief Secretary Home Momin Agha was given the additional charge of the post of secretary home South Punjab, Secretary Law & Parliamentary Affairs Nazir Ahmad Gajana as secretary law South Punjab.

Earlier this month, FM Qureshi spoke regarding the creation of South Punjab province, saying that initially two secretariats would be established at Multan and Bahawalpur.

Qureshi had said that two secretaries would be appointed at the secretariats and no file would go to Lahore for a decision. The Punjab chief minister had already altered the rules of business in that regard, he had said. “It is a big achievement and a step forward towards the creation of South Punjab province.”