Calling all officers on deputation… go back

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday ordered the provincial government to immediately send back the officers working on deputation in different government departments and the report presented in the court today (Friday).
Sindh Chief Secretary Raja Muhammad Abbas and the Services Secretary presented submitted a list of 100 officers posted on deputation at different departments of Sindh government including police and excise among others before the two-member bench of Supreme Court comprising Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani.
Muslim remarked that according to their knowledge, there are hundreds of officers who were posted on deputation in the Sindh government departments despite clear orders of the upper courts against the matter.
Directing the chief secretary and secretary services to immediately send back the deputed officers to their parent departments, the court directed the officials to report to the court on the issue.
On Wednesday, the same bench had taken notice of the appointment of officers in various departments despite clear orders of upper courts against the appointment on deputations.
The court had ordered the Sindh chief secretary and secretary services to submit the complete list of officers appointed on deputation at various government departments on Thursday.
The issue had come under discussion in the court during the proceeding of a suo motu case taken by the apex court on the issue of illegal construction of buildings in Sukkur, when a man named Agha Abid Hussain introduced himself as the Regional Director of the Sindh Building Control Authority-Sukkur Region wanted to submit a report regarding the illegal construction of buildings.
When a judge inquired about his official position, Hussain replied that he was originally an employee at the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and was appointed on deputation at the post only one month ago.
It is worth mentioning that in 2011, the Sindh High Court had ordered against appointments on deputation and directed the Sindh government to send back all officers to their parent departments and then the Supreme Court had also endorsed the order.