The Sindh Secretariat, center of all government offices, gave a deserted look as most of the employees enjoyed (Friday) as an unannounced holiday. Despite the fact that there was a public holiday on Thursday, the birth anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the government has also announced December 27 (Saturday) as public holiday to observe the first death anniversary of PPP Chairperson Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Interestingly, the offices of provincial ministers, secretaries, additional secretaries, directors, deputy directors, superintendents, deputy superintendents, section officers and clerks were locked up, a visit by this reporter revealed.
Usually, the employees of the Sindh Secretariat enjoy Friday as a half-day, but this time, most of the employees took leave for Friday, enjoying four days off, said a government employee on the condition of anonymity. "Don't you know, the first death anniversary of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed is on Saturday, December 27 at Garhi Khuda Bux and majority of the employees have gone to Larkana.
I am also going to pay tribute to my brave leader", he said. "We are free. We have no work as many of our colleagues and officers are absent today," he added. He said the government should have announced a public holiday today (Friday) as the officials know that majority of the employees working in the secretariat belong to interior parts of the province.
The employees take full advantage of the holidays as they wish to spend time with their families in their villages, he said. Furthermore, the roads leading to the secretariat were also giving deserted look due to non-presence of ministers and other higher authorities in the offices.