Son-in-law alleges PM Sharif's secy calling shots on bureaucrats' promotion at will

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's son-in-law and member of the National Assembly (MNA) retired Captain Mohammad Safdar has alleged that Sharif's personal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad has been calling shots relating to promotion of senior bureaucrats and is making the decisions according to his own desires.

Safdar called for an end to the practice, suggesting that a parliamentary committee should be formed to deal with promotion of officers of grade 20 and above. He said the decisions should be taken on the basis of the officers' performance and track record, reports the Dawn.

Lawmakers in the National Assembly supported Safdar's views and expressed lack of confidence in the Prime Minister Office saying that issues like promotion of bureaucrats should be dealt with by Parliament and not by an individual.

According to him, Fawad is taking decisions about promotion of government officers of grade 20 and above on the basis of his own liking.

"An individual is calling the shots and making promotions on the basis of his own desires," he said.

"The elected representatives can take better decisions about promotion of civil servants on the basis of their past performance because they serve in our constituencies as assistant commissioners and deputy commissioners," he said.

Safdar asked Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, who was conducting proceedings of the house in the absence of Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, to form a parliamentary committee to deal with promotion of senior civil servants.

Abbasi said the procedure for promotion of top officials had already been laid down and the decisions regarding promotion of officers of grade 20 and above fell in the domain of the Prime Minister. "As far as I know, the parliamentarians have been included in the promotion broad," he said.