By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reprimanded Islamabad’s two most senior officials after footage of them arriving at an Independence Day ceremony in a horse-drawn buggy prompted accusations of colonial-style excess.
Sharif directed that Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf and Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi be issued a formal advisory over their conduct at the 14 August event, after video of the pair’s entrance circulated widely online and drew sharp criticism.
The advisory, issued by Establishment Division joint secretary Syeda Shafaq Hashmi and dated 17 August, informed both men that the prime minister had taken “a very serious view” of the episode. It said Sharif had expressed “deep disappointment and displeasure” at what it called a display of pomp and show, adding that the spectacle “projected an image of privilege, ostentation and personal aggrandisement wholly at odds with the ethos of public service”.
Civil servants, the document said, hold public office in trust for the people and are expected to show “humility, restraint, dignity and sound judgment at all times”. It warned that such conduct risked eroding public confidence in state institutions and fell short of the standards expected of senior officials.
As administrators of the federal capital, the advisory added, the two men were required to uphold “the highest standards of propriety, conduct and responsible governance”. It concluded with a direct instruction: “You are advised to be careful in the performance of your duties, and ensure that such conduct should not recur,” describing the notice as one for “strict compliance in letter and spirit”.
The footage that triggered the reprimand showed Rizvi and Ashraf arriving at the ceremony in what appeared to be the presidential buggy, with the assembled crowd seemingly cued to applaud. No applause is audible in the widely shared clip. Social media users likened the scene to a colonial-era assertion of authority, with many questioning why two civil servants would use a carriage more commonly associated with heads of state.
Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi moved quickly to defend the officials, posting on X on 15 August. He said the buggy had originally been reserved for the chief guest, whose arrival — along with his own — had been delayed by a meeting between the president and prime minister. With the public having waited since 5pm, he said, a decision was taken to begin proceedings around 6pm rather than prolong the crowd’s wait.
Naqvi said both officials had initially been reluctant to start the programme without the chief guest or himself present, and did so only after being explicitly told to for the public’s convenience. He acknowledged that the optics were “not appropriate” but insisted responsibility lay elsewhere, not with the IG or the chief commissioner.
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