LAHORE - Will the Punjab bureaucrats heed to Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan’s advice to end their strike? The answer to this question will be possible today – the first working day of the week. As of now, the situation is uncertain. On Sunday, the DMG Officers Association planned to hold a meeting at GOR-I.

But reports suggest that no DMG officer turned up to discuss the course of action over the arrest of former LDA DG in connection with Ahsiana Housing Scheme scam. According to sources, a total of 263 DMG officers were called to a meeting to decide the elections of DMG Officers Association but the elections is delayed as no decision has been taken so far on this matter.

There are two viewpoints within the DMG association – one faction called for a complete strike on the issue while the other stressed legal assistance to Ahad Cheema and not to create any administrative crises in the province.

Reportedly, Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed met the family of Ahad Cheema and assured them of complete support by the Punjab government and his colleagues to the family. Ahad’s wife Saima Ahad Khan has served as Okara deputy commissioner.

he Provincial Management Services (PMS) officers have termed the arrest of Ahad ‘personal matter of an officer facing charges of corruption’.

Meanwhile, PTI chief Imran Khan held meeting of his party’s Punjab chapter via video link and directed his MPAs to stage a protest inside and outside the assembly over the strike by bureaucracies to back an arrested officer.

Earlier in 2016, Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) arrested six officials including project director of Land Record Management System (LRMS) for allegedly hiring more than 100 employees after taking bribe.

The arrest of LRMS Programme Director Maqbool Ahmed Dhawala was not resisted on any forums by the DMG officers.

Dhawala was a PMS officer who was left alone to face the charges of corruption.

Javed Iqbal adds: The Punjab chief secretary told the PAS officers has said that they believed in fair and transparent accountability of officers but without compromising the self respect. He however clarified that officers will be on duty.

There has been a widening gap between DMG and PMS Officers associations over Ahad arrest.

In the last meeting of the DMG officers association, a resolution was submitted to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif saying: “The administrative secretaries and divisional commissioners in Punjab have expressed their serious concerns over the harassment and humiliation being meted out to the public servants in the province by brazen misuse of authority and gross abuse of discretion for extraneous considerations by NAB functionaries in Punjab.”

It added: “Such uncalled for actions have caused deep anxiety and sense of insecurity among the public servants which is detrimental to the normal government functioning. Federal Government and Punjab Government should take measures for the due protection of the rights and human dignity of the public servants serving in Punjab. It must be ensured that NAB functionaries exercise their powers in a fair, just and transparent manner in public interest and strictly in accordance with law.”