Counter centre’s overreach: Sindh creates its own anti-graft body

New commission to broaden scope of Anti-Corruption Establishment

KARACHI: Authorities in Sindh have announced plans to establish a provincial accountability commission even as the centre continues to keep faith in anti-graft operations through Rangers, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)

Already, Sindh has the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), but Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said it was limited. “I want to enhance their (ACE) scope and capacity to purge the provincial government of corrupt elements. Therefore, there is a dire need to establish a provincial ehtesab commission (SEC).”

“It will be a strong, efficient and a professional organisation [in which] only clean and competent officers would be inducted,” Shah said while announcing the new body, adding that it will work under an independent board and chairman to ensure there was no state interference.

The chief minister also tasked a committee, comprising law secretary, the advocate general, home secretary and other concerned officials, to draft the SEC bill. “Once the draft for the bill is approved, it will be tabled in the Sindh assembly.”

However, official sources disclosed that the commission was being formed in response to the NAB and FIA raids

A spokesperson for CM house, however, said that the SEC was more of a case of Sindh following in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s footsteps.

“After K-P, Sindh will become the only province to brag about an ehtesab commission,” the spokesperson said.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Shah, chief secretary Siddique Memon, advocate general Fatah Malik, Senior Member Board of Revenue Mohammad Waseem and the law secretary.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th,  2015.