Change of guard: FC withdrawn from Central, Malir jails

KARACHI: Personnel belonging to two Frontier Constabulary (FC) platoons were withdrawn from the Central Jail and the District Jail, Malir, on Monday. Each FC platoon consists of 42 personnel. While the government and intelligence agencies declared the two prisons as sensitive following the attack on Bannu prison, DIG Nusrat Mangan insisted that the change was a routine exercise and that district police have replaced the FC men. He added that the Sindh government had ordered the changes.

Jail officer challenges superintendant’s promotion

A senior jail officer has challenged the promotion of a colleague in court, arguing that he was lower down on the merit list.

For its part, the Sindh High Court bench comprising Justices Faisal Arab and Nadeem Akhar held on Monday that the controversy would be decided on merit.

They then adjourned the hearing of a petition filed by Ashraf Nizamani against the promotion of Nusrat Manghan as jail superintendent.

On Monday, the matter was heard in chambers as the court’s time ran out. GN Qureshi, Muhammad Nawaz Shaikh and Irfan Aziz advocates represented Ashraf Nizamani, Nusrat Manghan and Muzaffar Alam Siddiqui, respectively.

Sindh Advocate General Abul Fattah Malik, Additional Advocate General Shafi Memon and the services secretary of Sindh represented the government.

The bench adjourned the case till May 10 but held that it would be heard in detail and decided on merit at the next hearing. The bench also tagged an identical petition filed by another officer, Muzaffar Ali Siddiqui, with the Nizamani petition.

Nizamani has questioned the promotion of Ashraf Manghan, maintaining that he was the senior most officer awaiting promotion. But the government promoted Manghan who was placed at number 4 on the merit list.

The people named in the petition argue back, however, that when promotion committee met, both the petitioners were suspended and hence could not be considered for promotion as the law prevents it till they are cleared or absolved of allegations of corruption or else.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2012.