LAHORE: All civil, administrative and police postings and transfers in Punjab are now being carried out strictly on merit, with no scope for political interference by ruling party lawmakers or other actors, Information Minister Azma Bokhari has said.
Speaking to Dawn, Ms Bokhari said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had enforced rigorous professional standards, ensuring that decisions on transfers and postings were free from political influence.
“Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has fully ensured that all postings and transfers in Punjab are made purely on merit, effectively ending the culture of sifarish (nepotism),” she said. “During her two-year tenure, not a single appointment — even that of a station house officer — has been made on the basis of personal references, something rarely seen in the past.”
According to Ms Bokhari, this strict policy has caused unease within the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), as some lawmakers found that the bureaucracy was no longer responsive to their requests. She said these concerns were reportedly conveyed to party president Nawaz Sharif.
However, she added, the party chief dismissed the complaints, maintaining that the chief minister was adhering to merit-based governance.
Ms Bokhari also stressed that the system operates impartially, noting that officers perceived to be affiliated with the opposition PTI have been retained as long as they meet professional standards.
“The chief minister’s direct involvement in assessing senior officers reflects a strong focus on accountability and competence,” she said. “Officers who perform well are formally recognised, which helps reinforce a culture of integrity and effective service delivery.”
On development projects involving billions of rupees, the minister said the chief minister had put in place a transparent financial mechanism that bars lawmakers from directly handling funds.
“Lawmakers can submit development proposals and exercise oversight, but they do not control the funds,” she explained.
Ms Bokhari said the provincial government’s governance approach is anchored in technology and structural reform, aimed at replacing ad hoc practices with integrated digital systems. These include the introduction of e-FOAS (filing and office automation systems) and e-procurement platforms to manage processes ranging from pension cases to contract awards.
“Rather than relying on short-term measures, the focus has been on long-term structural reform, particularly through digital integration across departments,” she said.
Shift towards e-governance
The minister said the move towards e-governance is intended to modernise state institutions, curb discretionary power and bring provincial administration in line with international best practices.
To enhance transparency, the government has made third-party validation mandatory for development schemes and digitised the entire procurement process, from advertising to bid submission.
“This system ensures compliance with procurement rules, protects data integrity and minimises human intervention,” Ms Bokhari said. “Open access to tender information and digital bidding have increased competition and transparency, resulting in significant savings for the public exchequer.”
She added that 14,216 officials from 6,641 offices across Punjab have been trained in e-procurement procedures to support the transition. In addition, the launch of an e-Biz Portal has simplified the process of obtaining no-objection certificates, further reducing opportunities for corruption.
“Public welfare, transparent development and institutional efficiency are the real measures of leadership,” Ms Bokhari said, “and it is against these benchmarks that the Punjab government’s performance is increasingly being assessed.”