ISLAMABAD: Nearly 150 senior government officials in the Sindh province face demotions or the possibility of being reverted to their parent bodies.
Bulk of them are with the provincial police, promoted out of turn or absorbed or inducted in police or on deputation in rewarding departments.
Twenty-three officials, earlier attached with insignificant departments, who got plum postings in the executive branch, and as many posted in the secretariat group, have to be sent back to their parent organisations, including autonomous bodies. The rest belong to police.
A senior official said that authorities had formed two committees to look into the consequences of the May 28 Supreme Court judgment on Karachi law and order situation. One will deal with cases pertaining to police and the other to the executive branch and secretariat group.
Over the past few years, he said, the Sindh government promulgated at least six laws to defeat judicial orders to the effect. But the Supreme Court ruled that the out-of-turn promotions in police and absorptions in other departments must be reversed.
The apparent objective behind formation of the committees is to defeat the order again, but the apex court will monitor implementation of its directive, an affected official said, adding that the panels will submit recommendations to the government, again frittering away a long time so that implementation of the court order keeps on dragging.
The latest order dealt with four categories, while another was issued on Karachi law and order situation some time back, related to officers absorbed in police, on deputation, promoted out of turn or re-hired.
In 1995, one case started in the Sindh High Court, which ruled in March 2009 against hundreds of such civil servants. The verdict was challenged in the Supreme Court. A bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry held that though the out-of-turn promotions were unacceptable, those who got them did have fundamental rights. By mutual consent of litigants, an order was passed under which one-step promotion was provided.
But the court also ruled that these officials would not claim seniority they got during this period as they had gained three or four promotions. This order is yet to be implemented.
The case remained pending in the Supreme Court for years. The hearing resumed after officials, including some deputy commissioners in Sindh, affected by such promotions or absorptions, sent petitions to the chief justice for early proceedings. Chaudhry took suo moto notice and inquired about the court order of February 8, 2011. Later, he converted the notice into a regular petition and ruled on May 28.
Many officials, who joined the civil service, including police, in Sindh through the proper procedure, complain that out-of-turn promotions, absorptions and rehiring impinged hard on their rights because these officers were given choice postings.
Internews
