LAHORE:
Treasury lawmakers sought a permanent solution to the continued assignment of federal officers to provincial posts, warning the practice was triggering a constitutional and governance crisis in the province.
The issue emerged after an adjournment motion was moved in the Punjab Assembly by several Treasury MPAs.
Lawmakers in their motion stressed that the continued use of federal agents weakens the authority of the provincial chief executive and limits provincial control over the administrative apparatus.
The preference given to federal officers, the motion said, reflects institutional distrust of the provincial civil service in Punjab and goes against the principles of decentralization and provincial autonomy.
The House was asked to immediately debate the constitutional implications of the gap between Punjab’s constitutional mandate and its actual administrative control.
The motion also called for discussions on strengthening a responsive provincial civil service, drawing lessons from comparative federal systems and international best practices.
Additionally, the motion proposed the formation of a special committee on provincial administrative autonomy and civil service reforms.
The committee will submit its report within 180 days, detailing all federal officers posted to provincial posts, the legal basis for each assignment, accountability mechanisms, transfer and posting authority, performance reviews and recommendations to strengthen provincial cadres.
The motion said Articles 97, 137 and 240 of the Constitution, along with the Punjab Civil Service Act, 1974, provide a clear legal framework for provincial services and render the pre-1974 provisions ineffective.
The motion further highlighted that provincial policies do not apply to federal agents, which undermines accountability, continuity and ownership of reforms.
He adds that the province is held accountable for results despite limited control over the administrative apparatus.
He also called for transparent and clear criteria for any exceptional secondment.
The motion was jointly submitted by Samiullah Khan, Malik Ahmed Saeed Khan, Iftikhar Hussain Chhachhar, Saeed Akbar Khan, Ahsan Raza Khan, Amjad Ali Javed, Muhammad Ahmed Khan Laghari, Zulfiqar Ali Shah Chaudhry Javed Ahmed and others.
The speaker concluded that the House would proceed after considering the views of the MPs who submitted the motion and after receiving the government’s response.
One of the proponents of the project, Ahmad Iqbal Chaudhry, argued that the appointment of federal officers to vacant provincial posts violated the spirit of the 18th constitutional amendment and contradicted the federal structure envisaged in the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan.
The motion stated that although the Constitution guarantees the political and financial autonomy of the provinces, their administrative autonomy continues to be ignored.
Commenting on the motion, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan said the government should be given time to submit its response before a detailed debate is initiated.
“We will give the government time to respond and then the House will discuss the matter,” President Khan remarked.
