The Tussle Within the Bureaucracy: Standing Defiant

Byline: Umair Aziz LAHORE -- The Punjab government is going through a difficult time as most of its provincial service officers are on strike and it is managing its essential business by replacing officers on key posts. The Provincial Civil Service (PCS) Officers' Association claims that the strike is against the "discriminatory" attitude of the district management group (DMG) officers, whom they also hold responsible for many other ills such as inflation, patwari culture and lawlessness facing the polity. They have also challenged the Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee (IPCC) formula of 1993 - which defines the share of the federal and provincial officers in provinces - calling it "illegal" and "unconstitutional" and hence demand the repatriation of DMG officers to the federal government.