Veteran journalist Najam Sethi takes oath as CM
28 March, 2013
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| LAHORE: Governor Punjab Makhdoom Syed Ahmed Mahmood administering oath to Najam Sethi as Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab at Governor House. |
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LAHORE: Najam Aziz Sethi took oath as the caretaker Punjab chief minister in a solemn ceremony held at the Governor's House on Wednesday. Punjab Governor Makhdoom Syed Ahmad Mahmood administered the oath to the caretaker Punjab CM.
Speaking to the media following the oath-taking ceremony, Sethi said the caretaker administration had the agenda of implementing the orders of the Election Commission, judiciary and to ensure that elections would be held in a transparent manner. "Journalists will be my eyes and ears. They will keep me informed about the problems in the province."
The caretaker chief minister sent a message to bureaucrats in the Punjab that incompetence and corruption would not be tolerated. He also announced to reshuffle the bureaucracy within one week to ensure free and fair elections.
According to Sethi, his relatives or friends would not be allowed any undue advantage during his tenure. He said action would be taken against individuals who used his name to seek favoritism.
"Maintaining law and order is a major priority for me," Sethi said. There will be zero tolerance for violence against the minorities, the caretaker chief minister added.
Commenting on the formation of the caretaker provincial cabinet, Sethi said no political personality would be included in it. He said that the caretaker government would be tough on terrorism and sectarianism.
He said the police should keep a vigilant eye on the elements that promote violence.
Sethi said that he would call on the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC) for taking instructions as well as discussing matters relating to holding of free and fair election.
He called upon the provincial administration to maintain impartiality during the election, adding that changes could be introduced in the provincial machinery after recommendations by the Election Commission.
Sethi hinted at the reshuffling of public servants who are reported to have political affiliations with different parties.
Sethi was presented a guard of honour when he reached the Chief Minister's Secretariat after taking oath of his office. A smartly turned-out police contingent presented him a salute. Later, Najam Sethi met officers and staff of the Chief Minister's House and shook hands with them individually.
Speaking on the occasion, the caretaker chief minister said government officers and officials should perform their duty with honesty. Principal Secretary Nadeem Hassan Asif and Secretary Implementation Fawad Hassan Fawad briefed the caretaker chief minister
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by the Parliamentary Committee members Rana Sanaullah, Iqbal Channer, Mian Mujtaba, Shuja ur Rehman, Shoukat Basra, Ch Zaheer uddin and Major (retd) Ch Zulfiqar Ahmad, PPP Punjab President Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, US Counsel General Nina Maria Fite, political personalities, senior journalists and others.
Sethi graduated from the Government College University in Lahore. He received a Masters degree in economics from the Cambridge University in the UK, and spent two additional years at the Clare College as a PhD research student.
Sethi is an experienced caretaker. From among all the names that have been discussed for inclusion in the interim governments tasked basically with holding the May 11 elections, Mr Sethi is the only one with a previous caretaker term to his credit. He was a federal minister in the caretaker set-up under Malik Meraj Khalid following the dismissal of the Benazir Bhutto government in 1996. He had been in prison from 1975-1977 during the regime of ZA Bhutto.
In 2008 and 2009, he was subject to death threats from Islamist groups for his papers' anti-fundamentalist stances.
Sethi won the 1999 International Press Freedom Award of the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists and the 2009 World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom Award.
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