Tag: CM Buzdar

  • Buzdar changed 3,000 officers in his tenure as CM

    Buzdar changed 3,000 officers in his tenure as CM

    During a three-and-a-half-year tenure, former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar transferred over 3,000 officers in violation of both the tenure policy and the Supreme Court’s (SC) judgment in the Anita Turab case, reports The News.

    In Anita Turab’s case, the apex court barred the government from transferring officers before the completion of their tenure.

    In the Anita Turab case, the SC had laid down the several principles to save the government servants from politicisation. Appointments, removals and promotions must be made in accordance with the law and the rules. Secondly, when the ordinary tenure for a posting has been specified in the law or rules made thereunder, such tenure must be respected.

    According to the news outlet, there have been no suo moto notices and no punishments for the violators.

    Moreover, it has been reported that the Buzdar government transferred around 1,100 secretaries, Director Generals (DG), commissioners, Deputy Commissioners (DC) and additional deputy commissioners in Punjab.

    In the Police Department, there were more than 1,900 senior police officials, including Deputy Inspector General (DIGs), regional police officers, city police officers, district police officers and Sub-Divisional Police Officers (SDPOs), who were transferred.

    The record reveals that Lahore, Gujranwala, Pakpattan and Dera Ghazi Khan were the major districts that were the focus of these changes where maximum numbers of transfers and postings occurred.

    It is pertinent to mention that during Buzdar’s tenure Punjab saw five chief secretaries and seven inspectors generals of police which has never happened before.

    In 36 districts of Punjab, the Buzdar government transferred 198 deputy commissioners in three and a half years. On average, 5.5 DCs were changed in every district during the PTI-led government.

    Dera Ghazi Khan and Gujranwala are the two districts where the maximum number of DCs were changed.

    In DG Khan and Pakpattan, some DCs were transferred within three months. Waqas Rashid was transferred within three months as DC Dera Ghazi Khan and Nauman Yousaf was transferred in three months as DC Pakpattan.

  • Governor says Usman Buzdar still CM but Hamza to take CM oath today

    Governor says Usman Buzdar still CM but Hamza to take CM oath today

    Punjab Governor Omar Sarfaraz Cheema has rejected the resignation of Usman Buzdar. The development has come a few hours before PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz Sharif was set to be sworn in. Lahore High Court on Friday, directed National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to administer the oath to the CM-elect after President Arif Alvi and Punjab Governor Omar Sarfaraz Cheema failed to obey earlier court orders.

    Omar Sarafraz Cheema, in his letter to Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, stated that the March 28 resignation letter of Usman Buzdar was not in accordance with the rules as it was addressed to the prime minister and not to the governor, which was mandatory as per sub-section 8 of Article 130 of the Constitution.

    Governor Cheema then said the resignation was unconstitutional and so rejected, and according to him, Usman Buzdar is still Chief Minister.

    Hamza took oath today as Chief Minister Punjab. He was administered the oath by National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on the directives of the LHC as the CM-elect had sought the high court’s intervention on the matter.

  • Punjab Govt to buy 46 new cars for ministers

    Punjab Govt to buy 46 new cars for ministers

    The Punjab government has issued a formal order for the purchase of 46 new cars for provincial ministers and will make an advance payment to a car manufacturer in this regard. The Cabinet Committee has approved payment for purchasing news cars.

    The Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) has issued a final order in this regard. According to reports, the provincial government has released a total of Rs 210 million for the purchase of vehicles. The existing vehicles will be preserved in the transportation pool.

    Punjab Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) Sunday said that the PTI government the provincial government’s spending have been drastically decreased, under the leadership of Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar.

  • Fact Check: Islamia University Bahawalpur is not in the top 1000 international universities

    Fact Check: Islamia University Bahawalpur is not in the top 1000 international universities

    Claim: Islamia University Bahawalpur is in the top 1000 international universities

    Fact: Islamia University Bahawalpur is not in the top 1000 international universities

    Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar on Wednesday, in his speech at the Kissan Convention in Bhawalpur, said, “As per the Times Higher Education World Ranking of Universities, Islamia University of Bahawalpur is amongst the world best 1000 universities.”

    According to the World University Ranking, Islamia University of Bahawalpur is not in the top 1000 universities but is in the list of 1001+ universities.

    Screengrab from the Times Higher Education World University Ranking official website

    Furthermore, CM Buzdar said that the Islamia University of Bahawalpur is among the top nine universities in Pakistan.

    Checking the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) official website which was last updated in 2015, the Islamia University of Bhawalpur is not included in the list.

    Screengrab from the Higher Education Commission’s official website.

    VERDICT: FALSE

  • ‘The proposed budget has measures to give relief to the common man’: CM Buzdar

    ‘The proposed budget has measures to give relief to the common man’: CM Buzdar

    The Punjab government on Monday approved the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2021-22 today with an estimated total budget outlay of Rs2.653 trillion, including an Annual Development Programme (ADP) worth Rs560 billion.

    The budget session was the first one in the newly-constructed building of the Punjab Assembly. The total outlay of the budget has increased by more than 18% and the development budget has gained 66% compared with the current fiscal year.

    The Punjab Cabinet also approved the much-anticipated 10% increase in salaries and pension of provincial employees and also green-lighted the decision to increase the minimum wage of workers from Rs17,500 to Rs20,000.

    The Chief Minister of Punjab Usman Buzdar said that the budget is not a “magic of statistics” but is a document based on development.

    Taking a jibe at the Opposition, Buzdar said: “The job of the incompetent and failed Opposition is just to make noise. Criticising the government’s positive policies only for the sake of criticising make them look bad.”

    In the cabinet meeting, the Board of Revenue proposed to increase the agricultural tax. However, CM Buzdar and the Punjab Cabinet unanimously rejected the suggestion.

    “The proposed budget has measures to give relief to the common man,” CM Buzdar. “All targets are realistic and all priorities have been set in accordance with the needs of the masses.”

  • CM Buzdar to meet JKT group today

    CM Buzdar to meet JKT group today

    Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar will meet members of the Jahangir Khan Tareen (JKT) group today to hear their grievances.

    Talking to the media, Punjab MPA and JKT group member Nazir Chohan said they would meet the chief minister and tell him about his “faults”.

    “The purpose of our meeting is the betterment of the province. Punjab’s affairs are being run by the bureaucracy.” Chohan added that while the MPAs have elected Buzdar as the chief minister, he did not get them elected.

    Earlier, PTI MNA Raja Riaz had claimed that CM Buzdar is ready to address the reservations of the Tareen group.

    Riaz claimed CM House Punjab had contacted him and said that he expects to meet the chief minister soon.

    These development come after Jahangir Tareen announced that his supporters had decided to form a separate group after the Punjab government initiated vindictive actions against them. However, he clarified that this was not a forward bloc and all members of the JKT group are still part of PTI.

  • Govt will complete its term: CM Punjab

    Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Usman Buzdar on Wednesday said that the government will definitely complete five years and the next general elections will be held in 2023. Talking to Punjab cabinet members and Punjab Assembly parliamentarians, CM Punjab said that Punjab is significantly ahead of all other provinces. Buzdar said that the politics of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is over. He added that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is spending money on backward areas as well, and not just Lahore. “People only want development and prosperity, the PTI government is pursuing equal development of every city,” added Buzdar.

    CM Punjab’s statement comes a day after analyst Sabir Shakir’s video went viral on social media where Shakir claims that the government will not complete its tenure and new elections will be held soon.

    PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb said that this (new election) is the need of the hour. The country is facing high inflation and the people are suffering under the governance of PTI, She said.

  • Buzdar rebukes ‘insubordinate’ ministers, decides to ‘act like chief minister now’

    Buzdar rebukes ‘insubordinate’ ministers, decides to ‘act like chief minister now’

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, irked by “insubordination” of his cabinet members, said he was being “being forced to act like a chief minister” and now he would “act like one”.

    The chief minister made these comments during a meeting of the Punjab Cabinet after Education Minister Murad Raas interrupted the CM in the middle of the meeting over the removal of a civil servant.

    Dawn reported that Murad earned the chief ministerial ire when he objected to the removal of Punjab School Education Department Secretary Sara Aslam, saying she was transferred a day earlier without taking him into confidence. CM Buzdar, however, took an exception to the remarks and responded in a “harsh tone”.

    “Is the issue big enough to raise in the cabinet meeting, especially when it was not on the agenda?” Buzdar was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

    Buzdar did not stop at this, he went on to warn his ministers about their behaviour. “I am aware of who was doing what and who is conspiring against whom. I am being forced to act like a [strict] chief minister and now that is what you people are going to get,” the CM reportedly said.

    According to reports, Ansar Majeed Niazi — minister for labour and human resource — also got his share of scolding for crossing lines with CM Usman Buzdar.