Federal secys ask VIP to rescue civil service from NAB

ISLAMABAD: The federal secretaries have met a very important personality (VIP) to salvage the civil bureaucracy from complete demolition at the hands of NAB.

Led by the cabinet secretary, some 15 federal secretaries met the personality last Sunday at the latter’s official residence. The federal secretaries were invited for dinner a few weeks after the secretaries committee had discussed in detail the issue of bureaucracy’s harassment and had agreed to share their concerns with the personality for a possible help.

A senior spokesman forthe Prime Minister’s Office, when contacted, disclosed to The News on Thursday that the meeting took place following the permission of the premier. Initially, it is said, the personality had sought Prime Minister Imran Khan’s permission to invite the federal secretaries to dinner.

“The prime minister gave the permission,” the PM Office said, adding that later the cabinet secretary on behalf of federal secretaries had also sought permission of the prime minister to attend the dinner. The premier, it is said, also granted them the permission.

The secretaries committee, which met on October 10, had discussed the role of the personality in addressing the concerns of business community. The secretaries though agreed that they could not meet on their own with the personality, the relevant secretary defence was told to convey to the personality their concerns vis a vis NAB.

The formulation of the secretaries committee was otherwise meant for the prime minister. In its last meeting, the secretaries committee was unanimous in joining hands against the NAB while finding its operation against bureaucrats as “intolerable” and “not acceptable”, issued a serious warning for immediate amendments in NAB law before the Bureau permanently impairs the work ethic of the civil service.

As reported by The News on last Tuesday, minutes of the recent secretaries committee meeting showed bureaucracy’s complete no confidence against NAB and its working. “Ironically, most of the investigation officers of NAB do not have sufficient experience and knowledge about the cases they are handling. Criminlisation of policy decisions would lead the civil servants to cautiousness and indecision, resulting in further slowdown of government processes and projects; there are clear signs that this is already happening,” the secretaries noted.