Governor seeks details of expenditures from provincial ombudsman
This is the first time the Governor House has initiated an inquiry into POS' matters
PHOTO: FILE
HYDERABAD:
The Provincial Ombudsman Sindh (POS) has failed to provide details of expenditures sought by the Governor House, with the latter having issued two reminders so far after the initial correspondence on October 18. The reminders were served on November 5 and on November 15.
The details of salary and perks drawn by POS Asad Ashraf Malik, who is continuing in the post for the third tenure of four years since his appointment in 2008, and audit reports from 2009 to 2016 have been sought. The POS will also have to furnish details of expenditures incurred for organising seminars, conferences, workshops and travelling allowances from 2015 to 2018.
"... clarification whether any vehicle at the depreciated cost has been purchased or not by the learned POS on completion of his second tenure in year 2016 may also be provided at the earliest," reads the November 5 letter.
In the earlier correspondence, the POS was also asked to provide 10-year figures of year-wise institution, disposal and number of pending cases and department-wise distribution of cases along with separate data about the cases pertaining to plots and lands. The budget of the Ombudsman Sindh and details of its utilisation during the last three years, besides the audit reports from 2009 onward were also required.
For his part, POS Malik told The Express Tribune that all queries in the initial October 18 letter have been addressed. He claimed that some follow-up clarifications were sought, out of which replies to some have been submitted, while responses to others are in process.
"As the span of information is about a decade [long], it is a colossal work," he said. "However I would like to add that everything - expenditures, etc. - are fully documented and perfectly legal and cleared by the annual audit."
According to him, his department is quasi-judicial and it was never audited earlier. "But I started getting it audited because I have nothing to hide," said Malik.
An official of the Ombudsman office, who asked not to be named, claimed that the audit reports are not prepared regularly. "After receiving the letter from the Governor House, the officials appear busy arranging the audit reports," the official told The Express Tribune. "This is the first time that the Governor House has initiated an inquiry into the financial and other matters of the Ombudsman's office. Malik was known to be a friend of former Governor Ishratul Ebad Khan who appointed him thrice to the office by amending the law to pave the way for his third tenure."
Third tenure
The Establishment of Office of Ombudsman for Province of Sindh Act 1991, under which the office was established in Sindh, provided for only one tenure. "The Ombudsman shall hold office for a period of four years and shall not be eligible for any extension of the tenure or for re-appointment as Ombudsman under any circumstances," reads the Act.
The Act was amended in 2012, empowering the governor to extend the term of employment or to re-appoint the Ombudsman for "a further period as deemed fit".
The function of the provincial ombudsman is to provide speedy relief to any citizen who may have suffered from 'maladministration' of any agency of the Sindh government. The agencies include any ministry, division, commission or office of Sindh government and even a statutory body, corporation or other institution established or controlled by the provincial government.
Contractual staff
A fleet of staff on contract, including on the top positions, like advisers and regional directors, are employed in the POS. An official source claimed that most of the appointments have been made directly without prior advertisement as was the practice till 2007.
There are a total of 242 regular and 228 contractual employees in the office of POS across the province. These include 16 regional directors who head the regional offices in Sindh. "There are nine top officials in the age bracket of 70 to 85 years. How can they work full time, sift through the multitude of files and cases and provide justice to the people?" the official wondered. They are being paid as much as Rs155,000 per month in salary, besides 250 liters of petrol and other allowances. At least one official of BPS-17 is given own pay scale (OPS) position of BPS-17 in the POS office.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2018.
The Provincial Ombudsman Sindh (POS) has failed to provide details of expenditures sought by the Governor House, with the latter having issued two reminders so far after the initial correspondence on October 18. The reminders were served on November 5 and on November 15.
The details of salary and perks drawn by POS Asad Ashraf Malik, who is continuing in the post for the third tenure of four years since his appointment in 2008, and audit reports from 2009 to 2016 have been sought. The POS will also have to furnish details of expenditures incurred for organising seminars, conferences, workshops and travelling allowances from 2015 to 2018.
"... clarification whether any vehicle at the depreciated cost has been purchased or not by the learned POS on completion of his second tenure in year 2016 may also be provided at the earliest," reads the November 5 letter.
In the earlier correspondence, the POS was also asked to provide 10-year figures of year-wise institution, disposal and number of pending cases and department-wise distribution of cases along with separate data about the cases pertaining to plots and lands. The budget of the Ombudsman Sindh and details of its utilisation during the last three years, besides the audit reports from 2009 onward were also required.
For his part, POS Malik told The Express Tribune that all queries in the initial October 18 letter have been addressed. He claimed that some follow-up clarifications were sought, out of which replies to some have been submitted, while responses to others are in process.
"As the span of information is about a decade [long], it is a colossal work," he said. "However I would like to add that everything - expenditures, etc. - are fully documented and perfectly legal and cleared by the annual audit."
According to him, his department is quasi-judicial and it was never audited earlier. "But I started getting it audited because I have nothing to hide," said Malik.
An official of the Ombudsman office, who asked not to be named, claimed that the audit reports are not prepared regularly. "After receiving the letter from the Governor House, the officials appear busy arranging the audit reports," the official told The Express Tribune. "This is the first time that the Governor House has initiated an inquiry into the financial and other matters of the Ombudsman's office. Malik was known to be a friend of former Governor Ishratul Ebad Khan who appointed him thrice to the office by amending the law to pave the way for his third tenure."
Third tenure
The Establishment of Office of Ombudsman for Province of Sindh Act 1991, under which the office was established in Sindh, provided for only one tenure. "The Ombudsman shall hold office for a period of four years and shall not be eligible for any extension of the tenure or for re-appointment as Ombudsman under any circumstances," reads the Act.
The Act was amended in 2012, empowering the governor to extend the term of employment or to re-appoint the Ombudsman for "a further period as deemed fit".
The function of the provincial ombudsman is to provide speedy relief to any citizen who may have suffered from 'maladministration' of any agency of the Sindh government. The agencies include any ministry, division, commission or office of Sindh government and even a statutory body, corporation or other institution established or controlled by the provincial government.
Contractual staff
A fleet of staff on contract, including on the top positions, like advisers and regional directors, are employed in the POS. An official source claimed that most of the appointments have been made directly without prior advertisement as was the practice till 2007.
There are a total of 242 regular and 228 contractual employees in the office of POS across the province. These include 16 regional directors who head the regional offices in Sindh. "There are nine top officials in the age bracket of 70 to 85 years. How can they work full time, sift through the multitude of files and cases and provide justice to the people?" the official wondered. They are being paid as much as Rs155,000 per month in salary, besides 250 liters of petrol and other allowances. At least one official of BPS-17 is given own pay scale (OPS) position of BPS-17 in the POS office.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2018.