May 08, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 2, 1429

KARACHI, May 7: Work in some of the public dealing departments is suffering after the Sindh cabinet’s last week’s decision to terminate services of all contract employees as officials who were rehired to head the departments have stopped handling files.

The departments which are most affected by the delay in the issuance of the notification include the Sindh Education Project, the Planning and Development department, the Sindh Textbook Board, the Sindh Language Authority, the Sindh Seeds Corporation and the Malir Development Authority.

In the Sindh government where over 400 employees, including 102 officials between grades 22 and 16 were rehired after their retirement by the previous governments have almost stopped handling files as they wait to receive their termination letters.

Likewise, files on the desk of 50 officials of lower grades, who have been working on their own pay scales (OPS) against higher posts, have piled up as they are also awaiting their re-designation and postings.

Almost an equal number of officials in different grades are waiting for posting.

When asked about the delay in issuing a notification despite the decision of termination of their services with immediate effect, Chief Secretary Fazl-ur-Rehman told Dawn that the summary submitted in this regard was awaiting approval by Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah as he was on a tour of the interior of the province.

“The chief minister returned only last night from the tour and before signing it, he is supposed to take a decision about the replacement of the officials in the next 24 hours,” he said.

Although, the government had decided in its very first meeting to pursue a policy of merit in all appointments and postings, recommendations of relevant ministers and party VIPs cannot be ruled out.

However, it is also learnt that some of the officials, whether rehired on contract after their retirement and those working as OPS on higher posts, were trying hard to retain their jobs by exercising influence of influential PPP leaders under the cover of technical expertise and non-availability of required experienced officials who were exempted by the cabinet.

According to the summary submitted to the chief minister, the important rehired high officials include DG (T&T) Lt-Col Shahid Qureshi, brother of Rashid Qureshi, spokesman to President Pervez Musharraf, chairman of the Sindh Textbook Board Anita Ghulamali, Managing Director of the Malir Development Authority Ameerzada Kohati, Secretary for Planning and Development Yahya Waliullah, Chairman of the Sindh Textbook Board Shamsuddin Solangi, Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department Raza Khan, etc.