Illegal appointments: Sacked LG employees to approach court

Local government minister can’t be held responsible, says former LG minister Agha Siraj Durrani.

KARACHI: Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani has welcomed the government’s decision to remove 12,900 “illegally appointed” employees, who were hired in the local government department during Durrani’s tenure as the department’s minister.

“The discrepancies are not limited to the local government department, but can also be found in other departments,” he said while speaking to the media on Wednesday. “The provincial government should initiate an inquiry.”

He also asked that action should be taken against the officers involved, clarifying that “No one can hold the local government minister responsible for the irregularities which were made at district level.” The local government secretary, Ali Ahmed Lund, issued a notification on Tuesday which said, “All appointments since June 30, 2012, are against the rules; therefore, they are declared null and void.”

Meanwhile, the local government employees have decided to approach the court against their dismissal orders. The former employees were appointed not only in Karachi but also in other districts from grades one to 15. In Larkana district, 1,200 people, including 100 peons, were inducted in one year.

According to the report, 900 people were appointed in Ghotki district. Before the May 11 election, appointments were made for sanitary workers, drivers, watchmen, clerks and assistants. “Most of the employees are sanitary workers. As per practice, the government appoints non-Muslims, mostly Christians, as sanitary workers. In this case, however, Muslims have also been appointed but while they receive their salary, they do not come to work,” said Nazir Ahmed Dhoon, additional secretary of Sindh government who led the inquiry committee.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th,2013.