The debate on government performance seems to be all over the place. On second thoughts, it may not be so sudden. The incumbent government is about to complete its three years and that is usually the time when people stop giving any allowance for the newness of the government and expect solid delivery on the promises made by the ruling party.
The analysis made senior anchorpersons and well informed. Journalists have clearly indicated that Punjab is going to have major administrative changes including the Change of CM. Prior to it, some media circles believed that the chief secretary or IG may also be relieved from Punjab. Mr. Jawwad Rafiq’s current Chief Secretary may be replaced by Babar Hayat Tarar, Ijaz Munir, or Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera. In this regard, DT has learned through reliable sources that Mr. Sukhera a dual national bureaucrat is eyeing this slot as well as lobbying for the position of Principal Secretary to Prime Minister and has already started using the office of his relative Mr. Ali Zafar newly elected senator to secure any of positions. Sukhera tried many times before to hold this position but couldn’t succeed.
Sadly, the PTI and the government it heads have gradually moved away from publicly reporting their performance. Occasional media reports indicate that Prime Minister Imran Khan seeks periodic performance reports from his ministers, but there is hardly any public evidence that such reports are presented or discussed. The government has shared no such report or even its sanitized version with the people.
Talking about the CM Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar, handpicked by PM Khan in August 2018, Sardar Usman Buzdar was to embody the common man’s empowerment. In spite of rampant skepticism within his party, he was touted to be in the best position to understand the problems of the neglected areas.
Three years down the road and Punjab’s chief minister has taken a steep climb down. Whether he is finally shown the door, speculations about his imminent ouster are on the rise. Again.
Some claim that the establishment is not too happy with Punjab’s governance but the skipper is still standing behind his Wasim Akram Plus; with a keen eye on his interests.
With the dirty blanket getting thicker in the coming days, Lahore stands to be ranked as one of the most atmospherically-polluted cities in the world. Given the legendary air pollution problems of New Delhi, Lahore’s blanket of smog should be an even deeper cause of concern. Many in the city complain of headaches and burning eyes and throats as health experts have noticed a serious increase in respiratory diseases, eye infections and allergies in Lahore in the past four years. A greater wake-up call is the disheartening research that indicates a greater vulnerability of those with weakened lungs (due to pollutants) to coronavirus. Unfortunately, the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution estimated around 128,005 air pollution-related deaths in Pakistan in 2019 (third-highest among the ten countries with the worst air quality).
