Sindh govt dubs DG KMTC’s appointment bogus

KARACHI: The Sindh government had posted Muhammad Sohail alias Sohail Babo as DG ‘Karachi Mass Transit Cell’ (KMTC) of the Karachi Development Authority and later termed it bogus in the Sindh High Court.

In a reply before the Sindh High Court in response to the petition filed by Muhammad Sohail for his posting, the Sindh government through the deputy secretary of Malir Development Authority (MDA) confirmed the initial appointment and promotions of the petitioner as fake, bogus and in contradiction with the Sindh Service Rules and Supreme Court’s orders.

Mohammad Sohail has enjoyed the position of director general (DG) of Malir Development Authority (MDA) for many years. The Sindh government in its official reply to the SHC said the claim of Sohail for his initial appointment is not correct and as per the available record of Sindh Local Government Department there are three different versions of his (Mr Sohail) appointment and as per the statement of secretary Local Government and secretary Services, General Administration and Coordination Department (SGA&CD) Sohail himself admitted before the highest judicial forum, Supreme Court of Pakistan that he was appointed as an administrative officer in grade 16 in DMC, Karachi East and later transferred by the Sindh Local Government Department as an administrative officer from the DMC East to Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) on June 6, 2001.

However, Mohammad Sohail in his petition had claimed that he was appointed as the deputy director (Information) in grade 17 at DMC, East Karachi on November 29, 1997 and after the promulgation of Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001, many government departments were devolved under the umbrella of City District Government Karachi (CDGK), including Malir Development Authority which was devolved as the project of CDGK namely Malir Development Project. (MDP). While serving at the City District Government, Karachi (CDGK) he was promoted to as deputy district officer of grade 18 on February 1, 2005 when the Malir Development Project (MDP) was the project of City District Government and he was transferred to the said project MDP, however in 2006 the Malir Development Authority (MDA) was revived and the then City Nazim as chairman of MDA permanently transferred all the officers working in the MDP project to MDA with their seniority, promotions and all other benefits, enablig him to become a permanent employee of the MDA against the post of deputy director (Estate and Enforcement). Afterwards he was promoted to grade 19 on February 27, 2010 and then to grade 20 as member (Administration and Land) on March 11, 2013 in accordance with the recruitment rules of MDA.

Sohail further submitted at the Sindh High Court that in the case pertaining to the allotment of land to Bahria Town, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took exception of his transfer and posting as director general of MDA on August 1, 2016 directing the Sindh government to de-notify him as DG MDA and repatriate him to his parent department, however he was held to be entitled to the seniority along with his batchmates. He reported back to the KMC which fixed his seniority with the batchmates Rehman Rajput and Abdul Jabbar Bhatti, both of whom were promoted to grade 20. But the KMC informed the Sindh government that there was no grade 20 post and was declared as a surplus employee. Finally, he was absorbed in the MDA as additional director general on a and on a non-cadre post.