Sindh Civil Servants (Amend) Act: opposition protests strongly against 'hasty' passage of law

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Ina Memon on Thursday defended the provincial government's bid to adopt the Sindh Civil Servants (Amendment) Act to reward police officials for meritorious service, but the opposition called it a law for rewarding cronies.
Vehemently opposing the government move, the opposition lawmakers cried foul and told reporters at the press rostrum outside the Sindh Assembly building that the government was illegally promoting police officials. Urging the Supreme Court to take notice of the situation, PML-F leader Jam Madad Ali said that the treasury had hastily passed the law and there was no need to do so as the matter was pending before the court.
He said the opposition was not against the law to promote police officials, but such promotions should be based on merit. The opposition, he said, wanted deserving police officers to be promoted "not cronies". Jam also termed the rejection of an adjournment motion tabled by NPP's Arif Jatoi 'unjust'. The motion, he said, had been moved to protect the rights of rural folks, who the government had denied access to electricity.
He said political victimisation by this government had exceeded all limits, adding that the PPP had also denied development funds to opposition lawmakers of Pakistan Muslim League (like-minded) of Ghulam Arbab Rahim group in the last four years. Vowing to resist all out-of-turn promotions in the civilian bureaucracy of the province, he said that the opposition supported all officers on merit.
Shaharyar Mehar of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) accused the government of regularising contract officials in different departments through this Act. Arif Mustafa Jatoi also criticised the government. Sharjeel Memon said the Act was police-specific and had no concern with any other government department. He said that the bill provided a 30-day appeal period to officers who believed that they had been denied promotions.