Sindh High Court building. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Headed by Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh, the division bench issued notices to the NAB chairperson and others to file comments and details of inquiries and investigations, if any, initiated against Talpur.
The bench fixed the matter for March 30 when the investigation officer will also appear.
Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Talpur had approached the high court against alleged harassment by the bureau.
Talpur's counsel, Farooq Naek, informed the two-judge bench that the NAB authorities had issued call-up notices to the petitioner, in connection with the inquiries into alleged misuse of funds issued to the National Assembly members for their constituencies.
He said Talpur has already been granted pre-arrest bail by the court in connection with the alleged inquiry, but NAB officials are still harassing the petitioner. The court was pleaded to restrain the NAB officials from harassing the petitioner.
Fazlullah Pechuho's plea
Meanwhile, another SHC bench also issued notices to 21 civil servants on a plea filed by another brother-in-law of Zardari, Dr Fazlullah Pechuho.
Headed by Justice Muhammad Mazhar, the division bench directed the section officer of the establishment division to inform the secretaries about the court's notice to engage their lawyers by April 12.
Pechuho, currently serving as Sindh education secretary, had taken the establishment secretary, Federal Public Service Commission central selection board (CSB) chairperson and 20 other officers promoted to BPS-21 to court.
The petitioner said he had joined the civil service in 1985. During the period, Pechuho said that he had served at various federal posts.
He maintained that due to his unblemished service record, the CSB had, in February, 2013, recommended his promotion from grade-20 to grade-21.
The court was informed that another officer, Orya Maqbool Abbasi, had, however, challenged such promotions in the Supreme Court (SC), which, on October 3, 2013, set aside the promotion of 81 officers, including Pechuho.
The petitioner's counsel, MM Aqil Awan, recalled that the apex court was impressed by the authorities' step of increasing vacancies to accommodate the most junior officers. Subsequently, the establishment division de-notified Pechuho from grade-21 and the Sindh government also followed the Centre's move.
The lawyer argued that the SC had observed that the CSB will consider the petitioner's case for promotion. He alleged that as per the SC's observations, the establishment secretary was bound to convene CSB's meeting to consider the petitioner's elevation twice a year, but only two out of four due meetings have been convened.
In the last meeting from July 5 to July 8 last year, the CSB deferred the petitioner's promotion, observing that 'CSB had recommended deferment for one year to observe performance from all aspects, including integrity', it was revealed.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2016.
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