Lahore:

Provincial assembly members from South Punjab have raised concerns about local bureaucrats’ indifferent and dull attitude, while also praising the minister’s performance.

The legislators shared their complaints during a meeting with PML-N president Nawaz Sharif and chief minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday.

Nawaz, accompanied by his daughter, met with MPAs from Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Muzaffargarh, followed by another session of Layyah, Rajanpur and DG Khan legislators.

The discussions opened with a speech by Nawaz Sharif, who talked about the political challenges facing the party and the current situation.

After his address, MPAs were encouraged to share their feedback, with many of them praising Maryam and informing her father that government initiatives had been well received in their constituencies.

In particular, they praised her merit -based approach to administrative agreements, pointing out one of them that all government managers in Punjab were appointed solely on profits without influence on “sifarian” (or recommendation) – a euphemism to undue benefit.

He noted that, unlike in the past, as influential MPAs had control over transfers and postings, the current government had removed such practice and legislators gradually accepted the change.

However, concerns were also raised about the attitude of government officials.

An MPA said that while the government appoints officers, it must also be held responsible for their performance. He revealed that even CM Maryam recognized the concerns and told her father that the situation was not as smooth as officials are producing.

She admitted that she was not happy with the law-and-order situation in South Punjab.