KARACHI – The Provincial Anti-Corruption Court on Thursday granted acquittal plea moved by lecturer Abdul Sattar Soomro charged with fake appointments in the Sindh Education Department.
The special court’s Judge Rashida Asad passed the judgment after hearing arguments from both sides and examining the evidences and records produced by the prosecution.
Advocate Wazir Khoso appeared before the court on behalf of accused Abdul Sattar Soomro, a lecturer of Sindhi at Larkana’s Government Degree College-Nasirabad, arguing that his client was not charged with a heinous offence; hence, he could not be taken into judicial or police remand.
Opposing the trial court’s order regarding sending his client to remand, the counsel contended that his client was booked only for attestation of documents of applicants who were issued fake appointment letters, which is not a serious offence. It is pertinent to mention here that on March 19, the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE)-Larkana had arrested two lecturers and three officials for obtaining jobs at government colleges through unfair means in collusion with some officials of the Education Department.
According to ACE officials, ACE-Qambar Shahdadkot had arrested Abdul Sattar Soomro from Larkana’s Government Degree College-Nasirabad and handed him over to ACE-Larkana. Besides, the accused Irfan Aamir Khokhar (lecturer), Ihsan Khokhar (office superintendent) and Talib Hussain Sandelo (senior clerk) were arrested on a similar charge from Larkana’s Government Degree College-Nasirabad.
The prosecutor stated that the arrested lecturers and officials had obtained fake appointments with the help of some low-ranking staff of the Provincial Education Department. ACE officials said that these lecturers had not appeared in examinations conducted by the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC), but used their connections in the Education Department to insert their names in the final lists and receive appointment letters.
The number of such fake appointments is around 20, they added. The officials also said that the secretariat staff in the Education Department had inserted fake names in the original list of candidates recommended by the SPSC. After seeking approval from the Sindh chief secretary, the case was lodged against them in Karachi under Sections 34, 161, 162, 165-A, 166, 167, 201, 217, 218, 420, 465, 468 and 471 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Accused Irfan Aamir Khokhar was dismissed from the post of Political Science lecturer, but he continued working and drawing salary.
