NAB launches probe into 400 appointments in Sindh LG dept

KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Karachi has initiated an inquiry into the illegal appointments of 412 officers in grade 16 and 17 in the Sindh Local Government department without any test and interviews, violating the service rules.

According to the details, all the said appointments were made in 2013 on a single day, bypassing the mandatory Sindh Public Service Commission’s competitive examination.The NAB Karachi, through an official letter, directed the secretary Local Government Sindh to provide details of sanctioned posts, recruitments made during the specified dates, advertisement, recruitment criteria, constitution of selection committee, written test and interview record, and final merit lists explaining the recruitment process in general.

In addition, the NAB Karachi also sought details of the authority that approved the constitution of selection committee and issuance of the appointment orders to the successful candidates, besides the details of promotions and legal proceedings.

According to the official documentary evidences available with The News, these 412 candidates were recruited in grade 16 and 17 in the Sindh Local Government department without any proper selection procedure or any recruitment committee, bypassing the SPSC’s competitive examination.

Reports said that the said appointments were allegedly made on political basis, as all the 412 candidates made their joining on the same day on August 5, 2013, while recently out of them 177 were promoted to higher grades.

Out of these 412 candidates, some 135 were recruited in grade 17 in the administration section, 66 in grade 17 as Assistant Engineer (Civil), 38 in grade 17 as Assistant Engineer (Electrical & Mechanical), 80 in grade 17 as medical officers in the medical branch, 14 in grade 17 in accounts branch, 30 in grade 16 in administration branch and 49 in grade 16 in accounts branch.

The official documents showed many irregularities and illegalities in the recruitment process of said 412 appointments, including the advertisement of posts published in only one regional daily newspaper on February 25, 2012 instead of six daily newspapers of Sindhi, Urdu and English languages as per the service rules and policy. The advertisement was without exact numbers of the vacancies, while the selection of the candidates was made without any selection committee or proper testing procedure.

Out of 412 candidates, 115 were appointed from the constituency of the then minister for Local Government Sindh and others were appointed purely on political basis on the recommendations of MNAs, MPAs and political high-ups.

The doctors and engineers were appointed in the cadre of administration as well as B-Pharmacy and the arts degree holders were also recruited in the service of accounts officers in violation of the rules and regulations. On the other hand, without the existence of medical dispensaries in the local councils in Sindh other than the Karachi division, the posts of medical officers of grade 17 were given on the basis of favoritism.