217 govt teachers entered plea bargain with NAB, SHC told
PHOTO: FILE
Out of 435 Sindh govrnment officials who were restored on their posts after they entered a plea bargain and voluntary return scheme with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), 217 are teachers, stated a report submitted to the Sindh High Court on Saturday.
The report was submitted by the Sindh chief secretary on a plea filed by Muttahia Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Kanwar Naveed Jameel.
According to the plea, over 500 officials who had embezzled funds had been reposted in different departments of the Sindh government after they voluntarily returned misappropriated funds to the NAB.
The plea contends that the return of embezzled funds by government officials was akin to them admitting that they had committed corruption and hence, all such reinstated officials must be removed from their posts.
In his report submitted on the plea, the provincial chief secretary pointed out that most of such officials were primary and secondary school teachers and dismissing them all at once could create a crisis in the education department.
He further stated that of the officials who had returned embezzled funds, 55 had been meted out strict punishments, 10 had been forced to take retirement, 12 had been demoted and 29 terminated, the annual increments of 73 were held back and action was being taken against 238.
The chief secretary again raised concern that if 217 primary and secondary school teachers, who had entered a plea bargain with the NAB, were terminated at once, a “void” would be created.
He informed the court that the secretaries of all provincial government departments had been directed to finalise disciplinary proceedings against officials who had entered a plea bargain and voluntary return scheme with the NAB within 30 days.
The chief secretary prayed the court to give him 60 days for taking action against the officials.
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Transgender rights
Separately, a two-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito disposed of a plea after rules for the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2020, as approved by the federal cabinet, were submitted to the court. The plea sought the implementation of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2020.
The rules state that all government offices are to allocate separate spaces for transgender queues, initiatives should be taken to facilitate transgender persons intending to go for Hajj and Umrah and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will pay for their pilgrimage, and separate shelter homes should be set up for them. The rules also bound all government departments to formulate policies for providing guidance to transgender persons on various matters.
Furthermore, the rules bar male policemen from arresting transgender persons, stating that only a transgender cop can arrest a transgender person. As per the rules, separate cells and washrooms should be reserved for transgender persons in prisons and transgender prisoners are to be transported to and from the courts in separate vans.
Plus, the rules state that transgender persons should be provided free legal assistance and education. They also underline the need devising a policy for employing transgender persons in government departments and institutions.
To add to this, the rules state that separate commissioners and federal ombudsmen should be appointed for hearing the complaints of transgender persons.
The rules also call for having separate queues of transgender persons at polling booths and appointing officials at the National Database and Registration Authority, passport office and driving licence offices to assist transgender persons.
All documents and identity cards are to specify the gender of transgender persons as ‘X’, as per the rules approved by the cabinet.
The court was told that the Ministry of Human Right has issued a notification for the approval of the rules.
At this, the court disposed of the plea.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2021.