Aggrieved officers of the Sindh Government have said that the Sindh Secretariat is unable to resist political pressures being exerted by the members of the national and provincial assemblies on behalf of the Sindh chief minister in matters of postings and transfers of officers of their choice.
Talking to Business Recorder here on Thursday, they said that almost all the serving officers of the civil and police departments in the interior of Sindh were in tremendous political pressure of the public representatives belonging to ruling parties.
They said that the chief minister, ministers, Nazims and Naib Nazims were ignorant of the service rules and code of conduct laid down for the government servants. For them flouting of rules has become synonymous with power one can enjoy with complete impunity and fear for punishment.
The serving secretaries of various departments are finding it difficult to explain to their superiors that rules would bring efficiency in the department and would contribute to overall good governance.
These officers said that their administrative powers to appoint BPS employee had been virtually withdrawn and it was the chief minister who would do all the appointments from BPS 1-11.
They said that even ministers were seen taking CM's permission to appoint a BPS-1 employee.
The provincial secretaries, prior to making all appointments from BPS-11 upward through Public Service Commission, were competent to appoint officers up to Grade 16. The ministers had the powers to appoint officers of Grade 17. The provincial secretaries were competent to transfer officer in Grade 17 and down below to anywhere in the province.
Provincial secretaries say that the chief minister and the minister have played havoc with the transfers and posting of the officers at every level.
They said that ministers displeased with an officer exert pressure to remove him, suspend him, initiate inquiry against him or at least transfer him to godforsaken place.
In case of revenue and police officers the best punishment is asking an officer to report to the Services and General Administration Department and wait for further orders.
They said that the agony of rotting in the secretariat never ends. The appropriate political pressure or money settles issues.
Police officers waiting postings said that police stations have a price and jurisdiction is matter of personal interest of the MPA or MNA of a particular area.
The irritated officers said that many officers have either retired or have been repatriated to their parent departments, but vacancies fallen vacant in the process have not been filled. At the same time their postings have been bifurcated to adjust more than one political recommendation.
An officer of the Education Department said that mess in this department was difficult to be cleared as the junior officers were occupying most of the senior positions. Similarly, in the S&GAD there are junior officers who are fighting departmental cases with their seniors. Police and the Home Department are too filled with such officers.
Business Recorder when contacted the S&GAD secretary for clarification the usual answer was that the "Sahib does not want to talk on this subject."
Officers in the lower rank who have been issuing notifications in respect of service matters even refuse access to notifications such as transfers and postings and orders for the release of salaries to OSDs which are public documents.
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