May 09, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 3, 1429

KARACHI, May 8: Believe it or not but it is a fact that all staff members of the Sindh Sports Board (SSB) across the province have not received their salaries for the last four months.

“The families of some 300 to 350 employees of grade 1 to 16 are going through mental agony to make both ends meet,” sources revealed to Dawn on Thursday.

The sources disclosed that some staffers serving in the rural areas were even compelled to sell off their children to overcome the dire financial crisis.

According to the sources, this alarming situation was brought to the notice of PPP MPA Ayaz Soomro during a departmental meeting after he was sworn in as Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Sindh, soon after formation of the new government.

During the meeting, he also sought details of the hefty amount of over Rs14 million spent by the caretaker government on hosting the Sindh Games in Sukkur earlier this year.

The issue pertaining to the staff salaries, however, remained unresolved as the minister was relieved of the charge of Sports and Youth Affairs after only three weeks.

Meanwhile, the two ministries have been bifurcated for the first time with Dr Mohammad Ali Shah assuming the charge of Minister Sports and Faisal Sabzwari as Minister of Youth Affairs, Sindh.

Ghulam Ali Pasha who was made secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs, Sindh, in the caretaker set-up relieving Ghulam Akbar Shah Bukhari, has been transferred as secretary Finance viz Mumtaz-ur-Rehman who took over as secretary Sports.

Bukhari, who was reverted to the post of director, Sports and Youth Affairs, is due to retire in August this year.