HYDERABAD: Unsu­ccessful candidates of the Combined Competitive Exam­inations (CCE) 2024, alongside lawyers and civil rights activists, have called for the immediate reconstitution of the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) and a complete re-examination of the recent finals.

Speaking at a joint press conference at the local press club on Monday, campaigners warned they would take their protest to the streets if justice was not served. The panel included academic Prof Mehran Memon, Sindh Bar Council (SBC) member Khuda Bux Leghari, and CCE candidates Farman Ali Malgani and Fakhar Zaman Khooharo. The group expressed hope that the Sindh High Court (SHC) would rule in their favour in an ongoing case against the commission.

Mr Leghari pledged the unconditional support of the legal community for the aggrieved candidates, launching a scathing attack on the provincial governance.

“Institutions in Sindh have been systematically destroyed; the present government simply wants to manage and control them,” Mr Leghari alleged. “While the PPP undoubtedly has people of integrity within its ranks, today the party is entirely driven by money. The ruling party prefers those offering substantial financial sums.”

He further claimed that a “fake mandate government” was currently installed in the country, describing the provincial administration in Sindh as an “arranged” setup operating within a broader federal hybrid system. He noted that whilst corruption and mismanagement were also prevalent in Punjab, the performance of the Sindh government remained incomparably poor.

Adding to the criticism, Prof Memon noted that SPSC examination results are routinely mired in controversy, facing either candidate protests or court-ordered stays. He pointed out a strange disparity where individuals connected to the ruling PPP or the Sindh government regularly failed the federal Central Superior Services (CSS) exams, yet easily cleared the provincial CCE.

Prof Memon alleged that the provincial government had “virtually misused” the SPSC — a constitutional body — since its restructuring following a previous Supreme Court judgement, appointing individuals of “questionable integrity” as chairmen and members.

Highlighting the CCE 2024 results, which were processed in unprecedented five months, Prof Memon revealed a striking statistic, saying that total successful candidates are 70 while candidates with political/government connections are 55.

According to the professor, those cleared include relatives and associates of the chief secretary, the Sindh education minister and Saleem Bajari, the political secretary to the CM.

The conference heard extraordinary allegations regarding the monetization of public posts. Prof Memon alleged that an ASI’s post could be purchased for Rs6 million, whilst an assistant commissioner’s post between Rs25 million and Rs40 million. To illustrate his point, he cited a case previously highlighted by the Sindh High Court, where an appointed assistant commissioner in Shikarpur was reportedly unable to spell the word ‘demarcation’ — a core function of the role.

He further alleged that the son of a judicial officer was “notorious for manoeuvring within the SPSC” and urged the Sindh High Court to form a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), including representatives from the FIA and ISI, to probe the commission’s affairs. “Mere suspension of the results will not suffice. The SPSC must be constitutionally reconstituted,” he added.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2026