The Supreme Court ordered the Sindh government on Friday to terminate the services of its law officers appointed on contract basis including deputy district attorneys (DDAs).
A two-member special bench of the apex court including Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani was hearing a matter in connection with the Karachi targeted killings suo moto case.
It is pertinent to mention here that the representatives of the provincial government only presented a list of 37 contractual prosecutors but tried to hide the appointment of 273 DDAs of grade-18 appointed on contract basis and working in the different courts and important positions of the secretariat.
The DDAs also came under discussion and the bench clearly directed the government to terminate the services of all contractual prosecutors and the DDAs.
Law Secretary Ghulam Nabi Shah, Additional Advocate Generals Sarwar Khan and Mir Muhammad Shah and Prosecutor General Shahdat Awan were unable to satisfy the bench on the contractual appointment of law officers.
The interesting aspect of the matter is that these four legal representatives of the Sindh government are also appointed on contract basis and among them Sarwar Khan is aged over 73 years and appointed by the previous regime of Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf. Mir Muhammad Shah is the brother of Federal Minister Naveed Qamar and a non-practicing lawyer.
Ghulam Nabi Shah, a retired sessions judge, argued that according to the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, the government can appoint prosecutors and law officers.
Justice Usmani responded by saying that contractual appointments on regular posts are a violation of Article 242 of the constitution.
