CM Afridi sets performance benchmarks for ministers, secretaries

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi on Sunday set performance benchmarks for cabinet members and administrative secretaries, linking accountability and recognition to their delivery and directing the government to shift fully into implementation mode at the start of the new financial year.

According to a statement issued from the chief minister’s office, Afridi outlined the provincial government’s policy direction and implementation priorities after the approval of the budget and the beginning of the new fiscal year. He said the entire government machinery must now focus on execution in line with the priorities and targets set under the vision of PTI founder Imran Khan.

Addressing a special meeting of cabinet members and administrative secretaries, the chief minister said ministers, advisers, special assistants and senior bureaucrats must remain closely coordinated and ensure that government decisions are taken through consultation and strictly on the basis of merit, transparency and public interest. He also reiterated zero tolerance for corruption, incompetence and poor performance.

The official statement said all departments were instructed to identify and remove opportunities for corruption at every level, including in service delivery and financial management. Afridi authorised ministers, advisers and administrative secretaries to take immediate and non-discriminatory action against officers found to be corrupt, incompetent or underperforming. He said no official who failed to deliver, implement departmental priorities or meet public expectations would be shielded because of influence, personal connections or patronage.

The chief minister declared citizens’ satisfaction to be the main benchmark for judging the government’s performance. He said departments would not be evaluated on the basis of presentations, reports, WhatsApp updates or social media visibility, but on measurable improvements in service delivery, easier public access to services, timely redress of complaints and public satisfaction.

In his remarks, Afridi said all government decisions must serve the public interest and ensure that citizens receive services and relief at their doorstep.

He also directed departments to pursue restructuring, institutional reform, digitisation and other necessary steps aimed at improving service delivery and access to government services. The chief minister said the provincial government and the chief secretary’s office would fully support reforms that produce tangible public benefit.

All departments were further ordered to develop and implement a comprehensive communication strategy. Afridi said people could not benefit from reforms and services if they were unaware of them, adding that government performance would have limited public impact if information about available services and interventions did not reach the intended beneficiaries. He directed departments to ensure systematic and continuous communication of government initiatives across the province and at the national level.

The chief minister told every minister to visit at least seven districts each month and move beyond office-based meetings. He asked them to maintain a regular presence in the field, engage directly with residents, inspect service delivery, identify implementation gaps and ensure immediate action on public issues. Each minister was instructed to prepare a formal district visit schedule and submit it to the chief minister’s secretariat and the office of the chief secretary.

Afridi also ordered every department to establish a dedicated complaint cell and link it with the chief minister’s complaint cell. He said he would personally review public complaints, departmental responses, grievance handling and citizens’ satisfaction on a daily basis, warning that delays in resolving complaints would invite strict action against the responsible officers.

The chief minister also directed all departments to align the implementation of development projects with the priorities laid out in the provincial budget and the Annual Development Programme, and to speed up work on all approved schemes.