SUKKUR: The Sindh High Court (SHC) Circuit Bench at Larkana has stayed the announcement of competitive examination results and suspended a controversial government notification while questioning the legal procedure behind the appointment of the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) chairman.

Hearing constitutional petition No. D-460/2026, a division bench comprising Justice Riazat Ali Sahar and Justice Ali Haider Ada suspended the disputed notification dated May 14, 2026, until the next hearing. The court further ordered that all results of examinations, tests, and interviews conducted after May 14, 2026, remain withheld until further orders.

The constitutional petition was filed by Abdul Ghaffar Jatoi through his counsel. The petitioner argued that while the SPSC is a constitutional body established under Article 242 of the Constitution, no regular chairman has been appointed since the tenure of former chairman Muhammad Waseem ended.

The petition further contended that the commission has been operating and conducting recruitments without framing the mandatory legal rules and regulations required to govern examinations and the declaration of results.

During the preliminary hearing, the bench issued strict directives restricting the commission’s operational powers. It directed Respondent No. 9 to perform only routine administrative functions and authorized him to sign nothing beyond essential financial bills. The court explicitly ordered that no examination, test, or interview result be approved or announced under the current arrangement.

Notices have been issued to the Deputy Attorney General, the Additional Advocate General of Sindh, and other respondents. The court has fixed June 16, 2026, at 10:00 am for the next hearing.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2026