KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday directed the chief secretary to file a report about transfers and postings of officials made in different departments after announcement of the schedule for the second phase of the local government (LG) elections in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions.

A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh and Justice Yusuf Ali Sayeed also asked the chief secretary to file an affidavit along with the report on Wednesday (today).

The bench was hearing two petitions filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and an individual challenging transfers and postings of officials despite a ban placed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) due to the Jan 15 LG polls.

The chief justice asked the advocate general (AG) Sindh to confirm that the SHC was told that such transfers and postings had been withdrawn.

But the counsel for the PTI argued that the Karachi administrator had not been removed yet from office.

The AG submitted that the orders of the transfers and postings had been issued in violation of the ECP’s code of conduct and election laws and the same had been rescinded.

The bench ordered the chief secretary to file details of all the transfer and posting issued after the announcement of the schedule for the second phase of LG elections in Sindh along with his affidavit on Jan 11.

On Jan 5, the provincial law officer through a statement informed the SHC that in the light of the letters issued by the provincial election commission, over 70 transfers/postings after the Nov 25 notification had been held in abeyance.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2023