Clear violation: Centre flouts apex court orders again

Waseem Ahmed appointed additional chief secretary despite court ruling.

KARACHI:

The Sindh government has appointed the Federal Investigation Agency’s former director-general Waseem Ahmed as additional chief secretary (interior) in clear violation of Supreme Court orders.

The move signals the revival of the post of additional chief secretary in the provincial home department.

It is learnt that Ahmed has been awarded a one-year contract. Ahmed is the first police officer ever to have been appointed on this highly-sensitive provincial post.

The Supreme Court had issued clear orders for not appointing any retired officer on any post after which several officers were accommodated as consultants in various departments.

Among others, senior member of the Board of Revenue Ghulam Ali Shah Pasha is also serving illegally in his position.

Under the law, the chief minister has no authority to extend the tenure of any officer of the district management group.

Earlier, Anwar Ahmed, who belonged to the district management group, served as the additional chief secretary. When Anwar Ahmed was transferred elsewhere the authorities abolished the post.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had issued orders to suspend Waseem Ahmed in the Hajj scandal case. However, the federal government did not remove him and Ahmed had to stand down himself.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2011.