KARACHI: The row between the Sindh government and the Centre took a dramatic turn on Monday when Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah directed as many as 11 Grade-20 officers of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) and Police Services of Pakistan (PSP), who were transferred from Sindh to other provinces, not to relinquish their charge.

The services of the 11 officers of PAS and PSP have been withdrawn from Sindh by the federal government through a notification issued on Nov 9 under a rotation policy. When the officers failed to comply with the transfer orders the establishment division issued them explanation letters.

They include four PAS officers — Syed Hassan Naqvi, chairman of Planning and Development Board, Sindh; Dr Kazim Hussain Jatoi, secretary of mines and mineral development department; Zahid Ali Abbasi, chief executive officer of the People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) and Khalid Hyder Shah, secretary of the college education department — and seven DIGs —Abdullah Shaikh, Saqib Ismail Memon, Naeem Ahmed Shaikh, Omar Shahid Hamid, Nauman Siddiqui, Javed Akbar Riaz, and retired Lt Maqsood Ahmed.

The provincial services, general administration and coordination department issued a letter asking the officers not to relinquish their charge “till further order” as directed by the chief minister.

It may be recalled that the chief minister a week ago had requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to direct the establishment division to fill the shortage of officers of BS-17 to BS-21 and depute requisite number of officers to the province.

In a letter to the PM, he had stated that the provincial government considered the Nov 9 notifications of officers’ transfer and postings in the province as ‘proposals’ from the establishment division and did not agree to them to withdraw the four PAS and seven PSP officers.

However, the chief minister said, the provincial government agreed to the proposal of deputing four PAS officers — Atif Rehman, Khalid Saleem, Noreen Bashir and Ali Hussain Malik — and as many PSP officers in BS-20 — Muhammad Karim Khan, Shahzad Akbar, Muhammad Zubair Dreshak and Syed Khuram Ali — in Sindh.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2021