Zardari lover jumps queue for top slot
Saeed Minhas
ISLAMABAD: Facilitating the pre-elections flow of funds for PPP’s
political mileage, the government on Saturday installed a member of
Zardari club as secretary of Water and Power, leaving the ranks and
files of bureaucracy perturbed.
Rai Sikandar has been elevated to replace the iron lady Nargis Sethi superseding both the Special Secretary of Water and Power Himayatullah Khan and Additional Secretary Arshad Mirza. Additional and special secretaries of the Ministry who are working respectively in grade 21 and 22, whereas Rai has recently been given promotion in grade 21. Rai Sikandar has served as personal secretary to President Asif Ali Zardari during the hey days of Benazir government (1996-98) when Mr President was serving in her cabinet as senior minister holding the portfolio of environment.
Even during those days when Rai was a grade 18 officer, he used to live in a palatial house in F 6/3 entitled for grade 22 officers — which he is holding till now despite weathering all seasons of governments in between. Rai had to be sent to jail along with Mr. Zardari and some other bureaucrats when Benazir government was sent packing by her own party president Sardar Farooq Leghari.
Sources in Bureaucracy believes that following Salman Farooqi and Dr Asim Hussain, Rai can be considered one of the new entrant in the list of Zardari favourites who can do anything for the boss.
Sources said Nargis Sethi, who was holding additional charge of the water and power ministry had to request the prime minister to relieve her of additional charge because the pressure from federal ministers like Mian Manzoor Wattoo and Chaudhries of Gujrat to award out of way subsidies was becoming unbearable.
Sources revealed that she refused to release subsidy of Rs40 billion and another Rs. 2 billion for the payment of projects not approved under prescribed rules and procedures just 23 days ahead of completion of tenure of the present government.
Since the iron lady has neither been entertaining the incumbent Minister for Water and Power Ch Ahmad Mukhtar nor Minister for Kashmir Affairs Mian Manzoor Wattoo and deputy prime minister, her removal was considered very much on the cards.
Another report said that the minister had recommended to Nargis Sethi to appoint Mehboob Alam, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Gujranwala Distribution Company as Managing Director of NTDC and in his place Javed Azad, Superintendent Engineer be appointed CEO Gujranwala but she refused to accept the recommendation on the plea that Mehboob Alam was junior officer and cannot be posted at such a senior position.
Two weeks back, during a meeting of a four-member committee comprising Minister for Defence, Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Secretary Finance and Secretary Water and Power, Mian Manzoor Wattoo pressed for giving flat rate subsidy of Rs. 40 billion for the tube wells which the finance and water and power secretary strongly opposed. However, the committee approved the flat rate subsidy proposal for tube wells which is considered to be the penultimate reason for her departure from the additional charge.
Rai Sikandar has been elevated to replace the iron lady Nargis Sethi superseding both the Special Secretary of Water and Power Himayatullah Khan and Additional Secretary Arshad Mirza. Additional and special secretaries of the Ministry who are working respectively in grade 21 and 22, whereas Rai has recently been given promotion in grade 21. Rai Sikandar has served as personal secretary to President Asif Ali Zardari during the hey days of Benazir government (1996-98) when Mr President was serving in her cabinet as senior minister holding the portfolio of environment.
Even during those days when Rai was a grade 18 officer, he used to live in a palatial house in F 6/3 entitled for grade 22 officers — which he is holding till now despite weathering all seasons of governments in between. Rai had to be sent to jail along with Mr. Zardari and some other bureaucrats when Benazir government was sent packing by her own party president Sardar Farooq Leghari.
Sources in Bureaucracy believes that following Salman Farooqi and Dr Asim Hussain, Rai can be considered one of the new entrant in the list of Zardari favourites who can do anything for the boss.
Sources said Nargis Sethi, who was holding additional charge of the water and power ministry had to request the prime minister to relieve her of additional charge because the pressure from federal ministers like Mian Manzoor Wattoo and Chaudhries of Gujrat to award out of way subsidies was becoming unbearable.
Sources revealed that she refused to release subsidy of Rs40 billion and another Rs. 2 billion for the payment of projects not approved under prescribed rules and procedures just 23 days ahead of completion of tenure of the present government.
Since the iron lady has neither been entertaining the incumbent Minister for Water and Power Ch Ahmad Mukhtar nor Minister for Kashmir Affairs Mian Manzoor Wattoo and deputy prime minister, her removal was considered very much on the cards.
Another report said that the minister had recommended to Nargis Sethi to appoint Mehboob Alam, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Gujranwala Distribution Company as Managing Director of NTDC and in his place Javed Azad, Superintendent Engineer be appointed CEO Gujranwala but she refused to accept the recommendation on the plea that Mehboob Alam was junior officer and cannot be posted at such a senior position.
Two weeks back, during a meeting of a four-member committee comprising Minister for Defence, Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Secretary Finance and Secretary Water and Power, Mian Manzoor Wattoo pressed for giving flat rate subsidy of Rs. 40 billion for the tube wells which the finance and water and power secretary strongly opposed. However, the committee approved the flat rate subsidy proposal for tube wells which is considered to be the penultimate reason for her departure from the additional charge.
