KARACHI: After serious criticism and strong reaction from opposition parties in Sindh, the federal government on Monday transferred the services of Ziaur Rehman, a younger brother of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, back to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

Mr Rehman was recently appointed as the deputy commissioner of Karachi’s Central district by the Pakistan Peoples Party government in Sindh.

An Establishment Division notification ordered immediate transfer of Mr Rehman’s services.

“Ziaur Rehman, a BS-19 officer of Provincial Management Service (PMS), government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, presently posted in government of Sindh, is transferred and his services are repatriated to the KP government with immediate effect,” it said.

The decision to recall Ziaur Rehman is taken on KP govt’s request

KP govt’s request

The move from Islamabad came after the KP government had written to the Establishment Division asking for Mr Rehman’s services to be transferred back to the provincial service structure.

“The provincial government is facing a shortage of cadre officers and the services of said officer [Rehman] are required for posting in KP,” said the KP government request to the federal government.

On July 23, the Sindh government had posted Mr Rehman as the deputy commissioner of Karachi Central by transferring Farhan Ghani, a grade-19 ex-PCS officer.

At first it was unclear how an official of the KP government managed to bring himself at the disposal of the Sindh government and the move was seen as the outcome of a meeting between PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Maulana Fazl in Karachi on July 10.

But after criticism from its opponents over the posting, the PPP-led Sindh government claimed that it was actually the federal government which had transferred Fazl’s brother to Sindh.

The PPP leaders shared a Jan 22 notification of the Establishment Division placing the services of Mr Rehman at the disposal of the Sindh government “on deputation basis”.

After news of his appointment became public, both the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan had voiced concern over the Sindh government’s move since Rehman had no prior administrative experience in the province.

However, the Sindh government had defended the move; provincial Information Minister Nasir Shah had told the media that it was “not a crime to be the brother of Maulana Fazlur Rehman”.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2020