Deceased quota makes a comeback

Cabinet says cases filed before cutoff will be reviewed

KARACHI:

The Sindh cabinet approved several key policy decisions covering governance reforms, agriculture, education, health, infrastructure, and financial management. The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, approved the restoration of the deceased quota system, deciding that all applications submitted before September 2024 will be processed on merit.

The cabinet stated that the policy was originally introduced in 2002 and had been suspended following a Supreme Court ruling on September 26, 2024 declaring related provisions ultra vires. It was decided that pending cases filed before the cutoff date will be reviewed in accordance with the law.

The cabinet approved allocation of six acres of land in Ghandi area, Ghotki, for construction of Khambhra police station and an emergency camp, along with funds of Rs125.611 million for the project. The existing police station will be converted into a police post.

It also approved the release of Rs497.574 million as Sindh's share for the upgradation of Rohri railway station, under a 40:60 cost-sharing arrangement with Pakistan Railways. The project aims to modernise infrastructure and improve passenger facilities.

After legal and procedural approval, including public consultation, the Lyari Nadi (river) was placed under the jurisdiction of TMC Lyari.

The cabinet also directed that pension liabilities of agricultural market committees must be met from their own resources, along with strict recovery of outstanding dues. To improve transparency in import financing, the cabinet approved that Letters of Credit (LCs) for imports will now be processed exclusively through Sindh Bank Limited, replacing the earlier system involving multiple commercial banks.

The cabinet also reviewed performance evaluations of Sindh Bank's board, committees, and senior management, and rated the institution's governance as "highly satisfactory" with scores between 3.94 and 4.00, reflecting strong leadership and risk management. Consideration was also given to delegating approval authority for annual performance reviews of Sindh Bank to the Chief Minister in his capacity as Finance Minister.

The cabinet gave nod of approval to draft recruitment rules for the Anti-Encroachment Force (AEF), providing a formal service structure under the Sindh Public Property (Anti-Encroachment) Act 2010.