CM Murad lashes out at Centre over rotation policy

Rejects Establishment Division’s reshuffle of officers

KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, addressing a post-cabinet meeting press conference at CM House, strongly criticised the federal government for launching unrealistic rotation policy for the transfer and posting of Pakistan Administrative Services (PAS) and Police Services of Pakistan (PSP) officers.

CM Shah lashed out at the Centre for the approval of controversial bills of census and electronic voting machine (EVM) through a joint session of the parliament.

"It is a wrong impression that the PAS and PSP are the employees of the federal government but, as a matter of fact, they are the employees of federation," the CM said and elaborated, "the federal government, under the law, is bound to have a meaningful discussion with the chief minister before transfers or posting any officer from the province."

The executive head of Sind government was flanked by provincial ministers Saeed Ghani, Nasir Shah, Adviser Law Wahab and Secretary Information Rasheed Solangi.

At the outset, the chief minister said that the federal government has withdrawn the services of four grade BS-20 PAS and seven PSP officers from Sindh and in their place sent back to Sindh four PAS and eight PSP officers under its rotation policy.

Quoting Civil Service of Pakistan (Composition and Cadre) Rules 1954, the chief minister said Rule-15(i) read as "The transfer of an officer belonging to the Service from the Province to another or from the Federation to a Province or from a Province to the Federation shall be made by Prime Minister or a person authorised by him in consultation with the Chief Minister or a person authorised by him [CM]."

CM said that against 26 sanctioned posts of PSP officers of Grade BS-20 almost 50 per cent or 12 officers have been transferred from Sindh. Talking about PAS officers, the chief minister said that against their 67 sanctioned posts only 30 were working - which means Sindh has a shortage of 67 officers. The Sindh government has sanctioned strength of 16 officers of Grade BS-21 against which only four officers are working, he said.

Shah said PAS and PSP officers have been transferred from Sindh and officers from other provinces have been sent to Sindh without consulting him. The provincial cabinet has rejected the transfer order of the officers issued by the Establishment Division.

The CM urged the Establishment Division not to harass the officers for joining where they have been transferred and allow them to work in Sindh.

"Different districts of this province have different dynamics, therefore the officers who have worked here have ample experience to deal with the different situations here," he said, adding that if the new officers were posted in different areas it would create serious issues.

Census and electronic voting

The chief minister, talking about the census, said that his government has serious reservations. "I am surprised that the federal minister [Asad Umar] gave a totally baseless, unfounded and incorrect statement on the floor of the joint session.

Talking about EVM, Shah said families living abroad for the last many don't know the ground reality of the country.

"PTI believes that the overseas Pakistanis have no idea how much bad governance it has given to the nation, how much inflation it has caused in the country and how it has destabilised important institutions, therefore they will vote for PTI," he said and added "Aisf Zardari has rightly pointed out that someone else will enjoy fruits of the seed sown by PTI."

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19^th, 2021.