SHC annuls recruitment made by Sindh govt before its dissolution last year

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Saturday declared as unlawful the entire recruitment process followed by the previous Sindh government.

The court also annulled all appointments made through that process, including walk-in-interview, in government departments and autonomous bodies.

Allowing the lawsuit of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQMP) that challenged the Sindh government’s advertisements for fresh appointments prior to expiry of previous government, an SHC single bench headed by Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput ordered that any job acquired in view of such advertisement process or otherwise is to be scrapped, declared as null and void and of no legal effect.

The court ordered that in future no recruitment will be made on the basis of any walk-in-interview by the government.

The court ordered that the Sindh government must ensure that jobs are be filled according to applicable urban and rural quota in the ratio of 40:60 in respect of appointments under Sindh Civil Servants (appointment, promotion and transfer) Rules 1974.

The court ordered that posts of Grade-5 to 15 must be filled by the provincial government under Rule 15 on regional/district basis and Grade 16 as provided in the 1974 rules.

The court ordered that all the vacancies shall be filled by the Sindh government as per the vacant seats and in accordance with the Sindh permanent residence certificate rules 1971 wherever it is applicable, ensuring that no vacancy above the sanctioned strength is filled.

The Sindh advocate general had earlier filed a statement before the court that advertisement be considered as withdrawn and the case may be disposed of so that the government may re-advertise and conduct the appointments again in accordance with the law.

MQMP counsel Farogh Nasim submitted that the tenure of the previous Sindh government was about to end on August 11 last when the government through its secretaries, departments and autonomous bodies started an unlawful campaign to fill thousands of vacancies without observing codal formalities ahead The MQM termed the recruitments pre-poll rigging.

MQMP counsel Farough Naseem submitted the then gocernment violated that the Article 218(3) of the Constitution, which stresses fair conduct of elections, by recruiting its favuorites.

The counsel submitted various departments, offices and other departments issued an advertisement in the months of July and August 2023 in a haste in a mala fide manner to complete the recruitment process without completing codal formalities. He said that some advertisements announced walk-in interviews.