‘Anti-corruption directors to be appointed in six divisions of Sindh’

KARACHI: In Sindh’s government's Department of Inquiries and Anti-Corruption Establishment, work has been started through a modern-style restructuring plan, under which the position of director anti-corruption under the chairman will be abolished and director general anti-corruption will be appointed.

While speaking with the Daily Jang correspondent on Monday, Sindh ACE Chairman Zulfiqar Ali Shah directors will be appointed in the six divisions under whom each district will be headed by a deputy director.

All the working staff will be under the deputy director, who will work on various cases, and the investigation process will also be under the deputy director, he added. Shah further said that during his time as chairman of the anti-corruption department in the previous caretaker setup, he had done a lot of work in this regard. After the interim setup was over, he went abroad on vacation and then he was reappointed and given the task of bringing modern reforms to the department.

The ACE chairman further stated that about 1,400 posts had been approved in the past in the department, but at present about 700 employees were working, out of whom posts of about 303 employees were being eliminated and they were being integrated into different departments.

According to Shah, this process of restructuring under the direction of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah will save the department eight million rupees annually and unnecessary expenses will be eliminated. He said that in the past, all the work was done on paper, or in files and diaries, which is now being abolished and the system of auto mission of anti-corruption is being introduced in the department.

The ACE chief said all work will be online in the new setup by uninstalling the old system, and all complaints and actions will be reported under IT and acted upon under the system. He said a special team is reaching Karachi from the FIA Islamabad to train the employees of the anti-corruption department. The employees will be trained in investigation and work procedures according to modern lines. Anti-corruption officers will also be trained in investigating white-collar crime.

Shah said legal reforms are being carried out to improve the process of accountability. In this regard, he has sent a summary to the law minister, which will soon be approved by the cabinet and the assembly.

In response to a question, he said that in the past, there was a lot of false complaints against various government and private people in the anti-corruption department. Under the new setup, this process will end completely and legal action will also be taken against any person who submits a false application. The IT's own system is being developed by going paperless.