Treatment with bureaucrats: Contradiction in PTI’s stance before and after coming to power

ISLAMABAD: In an apparent contradiction, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) functionaries had appreciated the civil servants who defied the orders of the government to crack down against his sit-in outside Parliament in 2014, but after coming to power they are warning to government officers who defied what they had four years earlier described as “illegal orders”.

During the violent sit-in against the previous government, the PTI had applauded senior police officers for defying the “illegal orders” of the then government of Nawaz Sharif.

They had showered praise on SSP Mohammad Ali Nekokara after the police officer was dismissed for not obeying the orders of superiors to use force against the protesters besieging Parliament. The former SSP Islamabad was eventually reinstated in 2017, after Nawaz Sharif accepted his appeal.

Also during the 126-day protest in 2014, they had appreciated the Inspector-General (IG) of Islamabad police, Aftab Cheema, for refusing to use force against the PTI protesters. The IG was also removed for his alleged reluctance to obey government orders.

After assuming power, the PTI officials are warning civil bureaucracy against making public complaints against politicians. The PTI functionaries are inimical to behaviour of deputy commissioners of Chakwal and Rajanpur, who had publicly complained about political interference by local PTI members of the National Assembly, saying that such conduct will not be accepted. And instead of making public complaints the officers should follow their chain of command, or else they would face disciplinary action.

However, the PTI top cadre now says that they had not changed their stance after assuming power, adding that instead they are making it clear that the bureaucracy must be independent and professional.

They said that a mechanism has been laid down for civil servants, as well as MNAs how to complain under a chain of command. The civil servants will report any wrongdoing to their superiors, while MNAs will complain to their respective chief ministers, who would subsequently take up the matter with chief secretaries or IGs.

They told 'The News' that a complaint-receiving cell would be established and a web portal would be developed to log all public complaints against civil servants.

They said that during the last 40 years, the civil service had declined steadily owing to political interference and they PTI wanted to depoliticise the bureaucracy. The government would make a policy and civil servants would implement it, they said.

They said the deputy commissioners should have not written to the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court against the local MNAs, adding, instead, they should have referred the matter to Punjab chief secretary.