Though, apparently, a neutral caretaker set up has been put in place in Punjab, there are questions over the neutrality of top bureaucrats selected by the new chief minister. Sethi’s ‘politburo’ consists of Chief Secretary Javid Iqbal, Principal Secretary, Shahid Mehmood, Additional Chief Secretary, Rao Iftikhar and Secretary Services, Afzal Latif.

Certain quarters in the PML-N view the bureaucrats’ selected by Sethi as having a partisan character because most of them had served former Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi and slain Governor Salman Taseer. They have alleged that Sethi has handpicked his team on the advice of a former Chairman P&D, Suleman Ghani who worked under Pervaiz Elahi. His Principal Secretary Shahid Mehmood has personal equation with Najam Sethi and has also served as Secretary P&D when Suleman Ghani was the chairman. As per sources, Suleman Ghani had recommended the name of Javid Iqbal for the slot of chief secretary.

Before his present posting, Iqbal was serving in the Economic Division and has no previous experience of working with Punjab bureaucracy. Javid, in turn, reportedly asked his close friend, Rao Iftikhar who was Additional Secretary (ACS) in the Economic Division working under him to suggest names of able officers for posting in different departments. It was he who recommended the names of Afzal Latif and Ali Murtaza Bhutta. Latif has been appointed as Secretary Services while Bhutta has been posted as Secretary Local Government. Roa Iftikhar served as Home Secretary Punjab during the brief Governor Rule in Punjab in 2009.

He was then a confidant of slain Punjab Governor Salman Taseer. Being a close associate of present Chief Secretary, Javed Iqbal, Rao is said to have played a key role in the selection of new administrative secretaries, DCOs and the Commissioners. Ironically, both the PPP and the PML-N are upset with Najam Sethi over the issue of placement of senior bureaucrats.

The PPP is unhappy because Sethi has not removed the officers re-hired by the former Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The PML-N, on the other hand, has reservations over new postings of some of the top bureaucrats including the chief secretary, the ACS and secretary services. It may be pointed out that the PPP had nominated him while the PML-N had accepted it, though with a pinch of salt.