Sindh Finance Department: NAB begins probe into appointments of 336 employees in 2011

KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has initiated the investigation regarding the appointments of 336 employees in 2011 in different grades of treasury, accounts, service and local audit fund of the Sindh Finance Department.

According to the official correspondence of NAB, available with The News, different officers of the Sindh government, a secretary and section officers have been summoned by the NAB Karachi. Those who have been summoned were part of a team, which conducted tests and walk in interviews of candidates for the said positions of various categories in treasury, accounts, service and local audit fund in the Sindh Finance Department in 2011.

The officers have been asked by the NAB to share the information and evidences related to the appointment of the said employees. It is pertinent to mention here that almost all employees of different grades were recruited from Taluka Sehwan, the constituency of a bigwig of the Sindh government.

Recently, the Supreme Court of Pakistan in July 2021 has referred the matter of appointments of 336 employees to the Sindh High Court and directed to decide the matter within six months. The court has maintained in its order that the high court should check the record of all the 336 employees and give the decision in respect of Grade 1 to 14 employees. The appointments against posts above Grade 16 be made through the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC).

The appointments were challenged in the Sindh High Court, where the court declared the procedure of appointment as irregular and directed the Sindh government to conduct the competitive examination of the said employees. Later, the decision of the Sindh High Court was challenged in the Supreme Court.