Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar paid a surprise visit to his own office, where he inspected the attendance, pace of file work, and disposal of summaries. He directed the staff to observe office timings and official discipline, reports Mansoor Malik for Dawn.
Buzdar paid a “surprise visit” to the tourism office and transferred the additional secretary “for being absent from duty” while not being aware that the officer held the additional charge of the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) Managing Director (MD).
Tourism Department additional secretary Kalsoom Saqib was meeting an official delegation of civil officers, undergoing training at NIPA for their promotion from BS-18 to BS-19, at her MD TDCP office, when the chief minister “raided” the tourism department.
The chief minister conducted a “surprise visit” to the head office of the tourism department on Tuesday morning and made administrative secretary retired Capt Mushtaq Ahmad and additional secretary Kalsoom Saqib Officer on Special Duty (OSD).
The report published in Dawn suggests that some officials say Buzdar has tried to imitate former CM Shehbaz Sharif by making “surprise raids” on government offices and suspending senior officers but has so far failed to set an example.
Soon after her transfer, Kalsoom took to her Facebook and posted her transfer order alongside a group photo with the trainee officers outside her MD TDCP office. She wrote in her post: “What a day when you are made OSD for being on duty. These are strange times but got absolutely bizarre today.” She also thanked her team at the tourism department, stating: “Nonetheless it was a great opportunity to do my bit for putting Tourism on the map. Great team, whom I will always adore.”
A senior officer in the CM office, maintaining anonymity, told Dawn that either the CM office was unaware or the information of Kalsoom holding an additional charge was “deliberately kept secret to embarrass the chief minister”.
