KARACHI, Feb 20: Favouritism, nepotism and “other considerations” play important roles in getting a job, coming through deputations, being absorbed, or even getting a posting in the Sindh Excise and Taxation Department (SETD), Dawn has learnt.

According to sources, as the SETD is the premier revenue collecting agency of the province recovering over Rs5 billion annually, most of its postings are said to be lucrative and sought after by “enterprising officials”.

The SETD secretary, meanwhile, agreed that officials from other departments came on deputations and some were even absorbed. He, however, did not give any reason for the officials’ eagerness to join the department and said that probably “they think this is a rich department”.

The sources said the most lucrative post was that of excise and taxation officer (ETO) and at least nine of its 90 posts were held by people who had come on deputation and had since been absorbed in the department. Some of them have come from the population welfare department, information department, irrigation department, SGACD, health department etc.

One such official, a medical doctor who came on deputation from the health department, is so keen to work in the SETD that though he is a BS-18 official in the health department, he has preferred to serve on a BS-17 post in the SETD as an ETO.

Sources said at least four lower grade officials were holding higher grade posts under what was referred to as “own pay and scale” (OPS), while many of the ETOs were waiting for posting in the department.

The OPS postings are in violation of a Sindh cabinet decision.

A Jan 17, 2009 notification says: “This department’s notification of even number dated Jan 16, 2009 regarding transfer and posting of Abdul Majeed Pathan, an officer of SE&TD (BS 19), additional secretary, chief minister’s secretariat, as director-general SE&TD is hereby cancelled/withdrawn and Mohammad Shoaib Siddiqui, an officer of SE&TD (BS 19), director (Admn & MVR) is transferred and posted with immediate effect and until further orders as director general, SE&TD, against an existing vacancy.”

The sources said the newly posted DG, according to a seniority list, was shown as junior to many of his fellow directors, including Nek Mohammad Kazi, Mohammad Javed Memon, Pir Mujeeb Jan Sarhandi, Muneer Ahmed Zardari, Shabbir Ahmad Shaikh and Saeed Ahmed.

The sources said that according to the seniority list of ETOs prepared by the department in 2003, DG Siddiqui, who at that time was an ETO, was shown to be junior to at least five other officials as well. So, Abdul Qayoom Soomro, Haji Saleem Bhutto, Noor Ahmad Odhano, Abdul Razzak Radhan and Mohammad Akhtar Azad, who are still serving as ETOs in BS-17, are senior to their DG now serving in BS-19.

Mohammad Asad Abro, protocol officer, services, general administration and coordination department; Dr Ayaz Ali Memon, deputy secretary (C&T) (BS-17), population welfare department; Dr Jai Ram Das, senior medical officer (BS 18), health department; and Ghulam Hussain Dharejo and Yar Mohammad Jamali, population welfare department, have come on deputation in the SETD and are working as ETOs.

Aamir Waheed Khan, population welfare officer, population welfare department; Noor Hassan Sarki, assistant electric inspector, irrigation and power department; Aslam Pervaiz Jatoi, information officer, information and archives department; and Masroor Mughal, irrigation department, came on deputation in the SETD and have since been absorbed. They have been working as ETOs.

The sources said that at least four junior officials of BS-16 were holding higher grade (BS-17) posts in their own pay and scale (OPS).

Wilayat Ali Jatoi, ETO (BS-17), (Excise III) Hyderabad, was directed to report to SETD secretariat Karachi and Kashmir Khan Zardari, assistant ETO (BS-16) (Property Tax) Hyderabad, was allowed to look after his post of ETO.

Nisar Ahmed Awan, AETO, was directed to look after ETO/DDO (Property Tax & Entt. Duty), Sukkur. Syed Sajjad Hussain Shah, AETO (BS-16), Khairpur, has been allowed to look after the charge of ETO, Khairpur.

The sources said that out of the over 90 posts of ETOs, many lay vacant, but since a departmental promotion committee meeting was not being held to promote officials serving in BS-16, many of them were now nearing retirement.

Responding to Dawn queries, Sindh Excise and Taxation Secretary Mohsin S. Haqqani admitted that the recently posted director-general, Shoaib Siddiqui, was junior to many directors who now would be serving under him.

But he said that it was not a promotion and the posts of DG and director both were BS-19 posts. He, however, did not know why an officer posted as DG was changed within 24 hours as, according to him, it occurred before he became the secretary.

Answering another question as to how the ETOs, who were senior to the DG when he was also an ETO, were taking the posting, the SETD secretary said that while he was not sure about these particular cases, such things could happen as someone could be promoted while others might not have qualified for promotions.

Regarding the promotions through the DPC, he said he would look into the issue soon and genuine grievances would be redressed on merit.

He agreed that some officials, on deputation from other departments, were serving in the SETD as ETOs, but he could not say how many they were. Regarding juniors serving on higher posts on OPS, he said there might be some cases.