LAHORE - A state of diarchy imposed on the Punjab Assembly has left the employees befuddled who have been caught in a catch-22 situation in the presence of conflicting orders coming from two different bosses. On the one hand, they are receiving orders from the Acting secretary assembly and the law secretary, while on the other, they must obey the secretary assembly working under the command of Speaker Ch Parvez Elahi.
It may be recalled here that after failing to present the annual budget in the Punjab Assembly, the Punjab government had got an ordinance issued by which the administrative control of the Assembly secretariat was placed under the Law secretary. The Treasury-led Assembly later also passed a bill to validate the ordinance in a sitting held at Aiwan-e-Iqbal. However, the Opposition-led Assembly having its meetings at the Assembly chambers reversed this legislation restoring the previous status of the Assembly secretariat. After chairing the first sitting of the budget session at Aiwan-e-Iqbal, the Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari had issued directions to officers of five wings of the Assembly secretariat to report at Aiwan-e-Iqbal for the budget session. None of them obeyed the deputy speaker’s orders as the secretary assembly did not relieve them.
The Panel of Chairman Tahir Khalil Sindhu later also issued similar directions, but the officers did not turn up at Aiwan-e-Iqbal.
The Assembly officers have now been issued show-cause notices by the law secretary for non-compliance of the deputy speaker’s orders.
All other employees are also in a fix over the ambiguity regarding the chain of command. They fear punitive action from the law department in case Speaker Ch Parvez Elahi is removed because of a likely no-confidence motion after the by-elections due on July 17.
It may be recalled here that after failing to present the annual budget in the Punjab Assembly, the Punjab government had got an ordinance issued by which the administrative control of the Assembly secretariat was placed under the Law secretary. The Treasury-led Assembly later also passed a bill to validate the ordinance in a sitting held at Aiwan-e-Iqbal. However, the Opposition-led Assembly having its meetings at the Assembly chambers reversed this legislation restoring the previous status of the Assembly secretariat. After chairing the first sitting of the budget session at Aiwan-e-Iqbal, the Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari had issued directions to officers of five wings of the Assembly secretariat to report at Aiwan-e-Iqbal for the budget session. None of them obeyed the deputy speaker’s orders as the secretary assembly did not relieve them.
The Panel of Chairman Tahir Khalil Sindhu later also issued similar directions, but the officers did not turn up at Aiwan-e-Iqbal.
The Assembly officers have now been issued show-cause notices by the law secretary for non-compliance of the deputy speaker’s orders.
All other employees are also in a fix over the ambiguity regarding the chain of command. They fear punitive action from the law department in case Speaker Ch Parvez Elahi is removed because of a likely no-confidence motion after the by-elections due on July 17.
