KARACHI, Feb 15: Hailing the Sindh government's decision of lifting ban on government jobs, the city nazim, Niamatullah Khan, appealed to the provincial chief minister to ensure that the criterion of giving jobs in all departments be merit and merit alone.

He also demanded of the chief minister to ensure that appointments in grades 11 and above were made through the Sindh Public Service Commission so that educated and deserving youths may not be deprived of government jobs.

In a statement issued from the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) where he has been admitted since Monday after having some breathing problem, he said that unemployment was the major issue of Sindh. He added that due to a continuous ban on government jobs since 1996, educated and skilled youths were sitting idle.

He said due to the eight-year continuous ban on jobs, the rate of unemployment had reached an alarming proportion on one hand, while on the other, government departments, especially schools, colleges and hospitals were acutely short of staff. This was because the number of vacancies, which fell vacant following retirement of thousands of government officials, could not be filled.

Expressing his concern over reports that the provincial government had restricted the city government from exercising its rights of giving employment in departments, which fell under its jurisdiction, Mr Khan said if such a decision was taken, it would not only amount to sheer violation of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO), but would also be a severe blow to the new local government system.

Deploring that by providing government jobs to thousands of incompetent and inefficient persons on recommendations and political grounds in the past, such persons, he said, had not only tarnished the image of government organisations, but people had even come to know for the first time about 'ghost' employees in the last decade. The term is used for those drawing salaries while remaining at home and absent from duty.

The nazim said if the Sindh government wanted to save government organisations from complete destruction, it would have to abolish the 'parchi' (chit) culture, and provide jobs to deserving and meritorious youths; otherwise, it would be a murder of merit.

He reiterated that merit and merit alone should be the criterion in every sphere of life. And, it was for this reason that the city government had neither appointed any person in any grade, nor would it do so in the future, the nazim maintained.