KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has already taken notice of complaints regarding people getting government jobs in Sindh through fake domiciles.
The CM had constituted an inquiry committee in this regard on May 26 which comprised himself [Nasir Shah] and CM’s legal adviser Barrister Murtaza Wahab, he said.
He was speaking at a press conference along with Barrister Wahab here on Tuesday. Qazi Shahid Pervez, senior member of the Board of Revenue (BoR), who is investigating the fake domicile matter, was also present, according to a handout.
Mr Shah said the committee was inquiring that in which district government jobs were obtained through fake domiciles.
He said that legal action would be taken against anyone who would be found involved in the unlawful activity.
‘So far, 154 such cases have been detected in four districts’
He held out the assurance that justice would be done to all and no one would be treated unfairly.
He said the inquiry in Larkana, Jamshoro, Kashmore and Ghotki districts had been completed and if such complaints were received from any other district, inquiry would be conducted there as well.
The information minister said that data had also been sought from the federal government in this regard which would be reviewed thoroughly as and when it was received.
He said that according to the findings of the inquiry, 154 domiciles and PRCs (permanent residence certificates) had turned out to be fake.
Mr Shah said that the inquiry also revealed cases where one person possessed domiciles of both Sindh and Punjab.
He said that if anyone had an evidence regarding a fake domicile, he could provide the same to the probe committee, which would look into it.
He said the committee was supposed to complete the inquiry within 30 days after which legislation would be done to ensure a strict check on such wrongdoings.
The minister said that an appellate forum would also be set up under the chairmanship of home secretary to enable citizens to seek remedy through appeal in case their rights were affected.
Pointing out that the chief minister had taken the matter very seriously, Nasir Shah said: “Strict action will be taken against those who obtained fake domiciles and also against those who issued the same. They will be brought to justice,” he added.
He also held out the assurance on behalf of the provincial government that the issue would be resolved once and for all.
Building collapse incident
Expressing his regrets over the recent collapse of a residential building in Lyari, Syed Nasir Shah — who also holds the portfolio of housing and town planning — said that there were still some buildings in Karachi which were built before Partition and were now in a very bad condition. He noted with concern that notices were issued to residents of the buildings declared dangerous by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) but their occupants were not vacating them.
He hoped that formation of SBCA courts would help curb illegal constructions. “Action is also being taken against corrupt officials of Sindh Building Control Authority,” he said.
‘Lockdown no solution’
The information minister said that now lockdown was not the solution to the problem of Covid-19 spread. “Now everyone of us has to live with this virus for a long time. Until a vaccine is discovered, we have to live with it,” he said.
Speaking at the press conference, Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the Sindh government’s questions regarding sugar scandal had not been answered yet.
He said the report of inquiry commission itself revealed that some people earned Rs40 billion in this sugar scam. He insisted that the prime minister should also be grilled for allowing export of sugar.
Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2020