Pakistani authorities promised an inquiry on Tuesday after the Sindh government was found to have employed almost 50 members of the same family in various health ministry jobs, many in the same hospital.

The sheer number of appointments ─ from vaccinators to security guards to lab technicians ─ has attracted the attention of the Supreme Court which will begin a hearing from Wednesday.

The matter surfaced when a man filed a petition complaining provincial health department had recruited some 48 cousins in Sindh's Ghotki district.

"Since 2008 till recently more than four dozen members of Chadhar family have been appointed by the authorities," complainant Farman Ali Pitafi, a health department employee, told AFP, adding they were all cousins.

He said many of the family members were appointed in subordinate grades but quickly promoted.

The provincial health minister Sikandar Ali Mandhro said he was unaware of the matter but would look into it.

Pakistan ranks 117th out of 168 on Transparency International's list of global corruption, where a higher number denotes greater graft.

Opinion

Editorial

By-election trends
Updated 23 Apr, 2024

By-election trends

Unless the culture of violence and rigging is rooted out, the credibility of the electoral process in Pakistan will continue to remain under a cloud.
Privatising PIA
23 Apr, 2024

Privatising PIA

FINANCE Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s reaffirmation that the process of disinvestment of the loss-making national...
Suffering in captivity
23 Apr, 2024

Suffering in captivity

YET another animal — a lioness — is critically ill at the Karachi Zoo. The feline, emaciated and barely able to...
Not without reform
Updated 22 Apr, 2024

Not without reform

The problem with us is that our ruling elite is still trying to find a way around the tough reforms that will hit their privileges.
Raisi’s visit
22 Apr, 2024

Raisi’s visit

IRANIAN President Ebrahim Raisi, who begins his three-day trip to Pakistan today, will be visiting the country ...
Janus-faced
22 Apr, 2024

Janus-faced

THE US has done it again. While officially insisting it is committed to a peaceful resolution to the...