HYDERABAD: A team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday paid a surprise visit to the office of Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC), off Thandi Sarak, and obtained the entire record of successful candidates who had taken certain competitive examination.
The record was obtained from the office of SPSC’s controller of examination Hadi Bux Kalhoro. Three policemen — who accompanied the NAB officers — remained outside and did not let anyone inside the office during the team’s visit.
The team entered the SPSC premises at around 11:30am and remained there till 8pm. No official statement was issued by the SPSC or NAB regarding the action.
The written test of around 3,300 candidates was held in June 2016 for 226 posts of section officer, excise & taxation officer, assistant commissioner and assistant food controller. Successful candidates also appeared in the viva voce held after the written test. In the meantime, the SPSC management faced allegation of favouritism and nepotism.
Earlier, in Dec 2015 a ‘screening test’ of 24,000 candidates was held when the SPSC was headed by Agha Rafiq. He had to resign after this test reportedly after coming under tremendous pressure to ‘favour’ some candidates. He had already short-listed some candidates after the screening test.
A written test of 3,300 candidate and the subsequent viva voce was held under Agha Rafiq’s successor Mohammad Saleem Bhounr.
According to SPSC sources, the commission recommended to the Sindh chief minister the names of those candidates who had cleared the oral exam. Some of them were even given jobs.
The sources said that when the apex court took up the matter/complaints about nepotism, favouritism and irregularities in November, the process was stopped and offer letters were withheld.
Reports said that following the apex court’s intervention, the SPSC chairman and seven other members had sent their resignations to the Sindh government.
It is learnt that the resignations have not been accepted so far. Three SPSC members, Saindad Solangi, Ghulam Shabbir Sheikh and Mohammad Hanif Pathan, who did not resign have filed a petition in the high court stating that they were being forced to resign. The seven other members are also reportedly seeking withdrawal of their resignations. The matter is fixed for Dec 1 in the apex court.
Published in Dawn November 29th, 2016
