KARACHI, March 24: Administrative bosses in the Sindh government have started pleasing newly elected parliamentarians by transferring and posting officials in violation of rules and a ban notified last month by the government.

Sources in the Sindh health department said that there was a complete ban on appointments, transfers and postings in all government departments but various officers, including the executive district officers (health), were being pushed in or pulled out on the wishes of some members elect of the provincial assembly. A few postings pertaining to EDOs in Jamshoro and Dadu had already been carried out since the February 18 election. Besides, the health secretary had very recently moved letters for the transfer and postings of EDOs in Naushehro Feroze and Kashmore, to the chief secretary office for approval, sources said.

A source said that the names of the new incumbents had been recommended by a couple of members of the national and provincial assemblies. One of the national assembly members had also asked the government officials to post one of his favourites as district officer (administration and accounts) as EDO health in Kashmore, the source added.

A letter marked “most important/urgent” and issued on February 22 by the Services, General Administration and Coordination department, Sindh, stated that no appointment/transfer and posting orders or letter would be issued in future; otherwise the officers would be held responsible for the laxity and dereliction of duty.

It was learnt that the secretary, additional secretaries and section heads at the health department had been discouraging deserving cases of appointments/transfers and posting during the last some weeks on the basis of SG&CD letter of February 22 and notices on the subject had also been displayed outside the health secretary office.

A source said that if the chief secretary approved the recommendations pertaining to various posts from the parliamentarians a couple of lower grade officials would get the chance to work on higher grade posts, which would certainly cause annoyance among competent officials.

Another source said that a degree of discrepancy in the implementation of the ban policy by bureaucrats could be gauged with the fact that a good number of women from across the province despite undergoing interviews and tests were not issued training or posting letters for a maternal health project, while resourceful individuals were appointed on grades 17 and 18 posts in the same project during the last one month.

The case of hundreds of appointments against the posts of general and special cadre doctors and nurses was another example of double standards. The candidates who had appeared in recruitment tests could only secure their results after a lot of struggle. The caretaker chief minister and health minister had approved the appointments of eligible candidates from across the province, but they faced bureaucratic hurdles on the pretext of ban policy, claim the affected candidates.