Khawaja Asif has raised serious questions about the commitment of senior bureaucrats who, he says, have been quietly preparing to settle abroad while still serving the Government of Pakistan.
In a post on social media, Khawaja Asif said there was no doubt that the country’s bureaucracy has capable and honest officers. However, he noted that a large number of officers have, over the past several years, made Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe their permanent homes. According to him, these officers made arrangements for their move while they were still on the government payroll, and did so under a deliberate plan. This, he said, casts doubt on their loyalty to the country and to their duties during their years in service.
Khawaja Asif said that in recent years Portugal has become the favourite destination of this bureaucratic exodus. He recalled that he had raised the matter in a tweet only a few months ago. He added that the officers whose names have surfaced in this regard have long enjoyed the special favour of successive governments and continue to hold important positions.
He further claimed that the person who arranged permanent residency for these officers has fled the country after collecting large sums of money from many elite bureaucrats. Many unpleasant stories, he said, are now circulating about the affair.
Concluding his post, Khawaja Asif posed a pointed question. Those who hold high office, who have been honoured by the homeland, who have had every chance to gather wealth by fair means and foul, and who remain the favourites of politicians, what is the real nature of their commitment to the country across their careers? Is it beyond all doubt and suspicion, he asked, or are they simply in transit?
His remarks are likely to renew debate on dual loyalties within the civil service and the need for stricter checks on foreign residency and assets of serving officers.
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