QUETTA: The process of recent recruitment in the secretariat of the provincial ombudsman attracted scathing criticism from lawmakers during a session of the Balochistan Assembly here on Wednesday.

Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl told the house that the advertisement published in the newspapers regarding vacant posts in the secretariat asked candidates to send applications to a GPO box, instead of the address of the department.

He said that the employees of the secretariat were paid salaries and provided perks and privileges through the provincial exchequer but it used the address of a GPO box. “It is unfair and amounts to cheating the candidates,” he said.

Mr Khetran alleged that the selection committee formed for recruitment was partial as four of its members were from Pishin and another from Quetta though the recruitment was made from all over Balochistan.

Adviser to the Chief Minister on Finance Sardar Aslam Bizenjo said that a position holder came to his office and demanded re-checking of his papers of the examination conducted by the secretariat for the recruitment. He complained that he had been deliberately victimised and denied a job in the ombudsman secretariat.

Mr Bizenjo demanded that the appointments made by the ombudsman secretariat be cancelled and fresh examinations be held for it.

Meanwhile, Zamarak Khan Piralizai, deputy leader of the opposition in the assembly, condemned registration of a double murder case against him and his cousin Senator Dawood Achakzai.

He said that he and his cousin were in Gwadar to participate in a meeting of a parliamentary committee on the day when the double murder took place. He demanded an investigation to determine why the case was registered against innocent people.

He said that it had become a trend in Balochitan to lodge criminal and murder cases against prominent personalities, instead of the persons involved in any offence.

Speaker Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani directed Balochistan’s home minister, secretary and inspector general of police to hold an inquiry into the issue and report to the assembly.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2017