Illegal appointments: Sindh govt removes 38 information officers
KARACHI: The Sindh government removed 38 Information Officers from their positions and directed them to report to the Directorate General of Sindh Information Department, following the advice of Regulations Wing of Sindh Services and General Administration and Coordination Department.
According to the official documentary evidence (copies of which are available with The News), these Information Officers of Grade 17, majority of them sons, brothers, and close relatives of Sindh’s ruling Pakistan People’s Party and two journalists, were appointed in 2012 directly and confirmed in 2017, violating the Sindh government Service rules by misinterpreting the Sindh High Court order.
Earlier in June 2021, the Sindh government had stopped their salaries and decided to refer their issue to the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) for assessing their suitability for the positions after nine years. Majority of them are holding key positions in the Sindh Information Department due to their political influence.
It is pertinent to mention here that the incumbent Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, former Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, former minister information Sharjeel Memon, former Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, and six secretaries of the Sindh government are also facing investigation of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for recruiting and then confirming the said Information Officers.
According to the service rules, any person having masters degree of mass-communication (journalism) is eligible for the post of Information Officer of Grade 17, only after a test and interview of the Sindh Public Service Commission. But in 2012, only to accommodate the favorites, the rules were illegally amended by fixing the criteria of the masters degree in any subject and the vacancies were filled through walk-in interviews by the department itself.
Interestingly, from 2003 to-date, only 25 Information Officers with ‘Masters in Mass Communication’ could get jobs on merit through the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) at different times, but in 2012, by misusing powers the Sindh government appointed 43 Information Officers directly, avoiding the mandatory criteria for the post and required commission’s examination.
Spokesman of the Sindh Information Department told The News that following the directions of Sindh Law Department, the matter of said Information Officers has been sent to the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) to check their suitability and after the response of SPSC, the department will decide their fate.
The spokesman added the salaries of the said officers were also stopped on the directions of the Sindh Law Department.
Kosar Noor Solangi, the applicant before the Sindh High Court and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the appointment of said IOs, told The News that the Sindh government did an illegal act, misguided and misinterpreted the Sindh High Court orders and was still trying to save these illegal appointees.
Solangi concluded that there was no question of verifying the suitability of the officers as these were appointed initially by avoiding the basic qualification for the post, masters in mass communication or journalism.
