Punjab Health Secretary Ali Jan Sent on Forced Leave Amid Assembly Conflict

Punjab government has placed Health Secretary Ali Jan on forced leave following a privilege motion presented by treasury lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly. The motion was triggered by growing dissatisfaction among MPs regarding Ali Jan’s conduct and his handling of hospital monitoring across the province.

This decision follows complaints from MPAs, who accused Secretary Ali Jan of advising hospital management to disregard their recommendations, which escalated tensions between him and the elected representatives. The lawmakers argued that Ali Jan had violated Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s directives, as she had recently entrusted MPs with the responsibility of monitoring hospital performance.

In response to the situation, the government has appointed Azmat Mahmood as the new secretary of the specialized healthcare department and Nadia Saqib as the secretary of the primary healthcare department. These appointments are seen as a move to improve the management and oversight of healthcare services in Punjab.

Ali Jan, who has served as the health secretary for the past 18 months under the caretaker government and previously during the tenure of former Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, expressed his intention to return to the development sector, where he has extensive experience.