SHC suspends recruitment of over 21,000 posts through IBA Sukkur

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday suspended the Sindh government’s notifications with regard to recruitments of over 21,000 employees for post of Grades 1 to 15 in different government departments and conduct of test through the IBA Sukkur till further orders.

The court has ordered that no recruitment of government employees should be made through the IBA Sukkur. The interim restraining order came on a petition filed by the MQM-P leaders Kanwar Naveed Jameel, Kishwar Zehra and others, challenging the Sindh government’s decision for recruitment of over 21,000 posts through the IBA Sukkur.

Petitioner's counsel Mohammad Tariq Mansoor submitted that the provincial cabinet, in its meeting held on November 11, 2019, unanimously agreed to approve the Institute of Business Administration, Sukkur's, testing service as the only recognised government institution/testing service for the general screening test of the applicants, who applied for recruitment in all government departments.

He submitted that the IBA had published advertisement on its website illegally about the recruitment process. He referred to certain details obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, which show that the IBA Sukkur was incorporated on July 23, 2015. He submitted that authorisation and deputation of IBA Sukkur for conducting the screening test is patently illegal and in violation of Section 3(3) and 4(1) and (2) of the Sukkur IBA University Act.

The counsel submitted that the Sindh Public Service Commission has functions to conduct the tests and examination for recruitment for initial appointment of posts connected with affairs of the Sindh government.

The court was requested to declare that the Sindh government's notification with regard to recruitments of over 21,000 posts through the IBA Sukkur is unlawful as respondent was neither eligible nor competent in award of contract for testing over 21,000 recruitments on vacant posts. He requested the court to direct the Sindh government to conduct tests of the posts through the Sindh Public Service Commission by giving clear advertisements for each and every post in a transparent manner.

The SHC’s division bench, headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, after preliminary hearing of the petition, observed that the point raised by the petitioner's counsel requires consideration.