- Junior clerk running all matters at assembly secretariat bypassing secretary
KARACHI: Although mismanagement and financial embezzlements have become a routine matter, the Sindh Assembly is the place where lower cadre employees have been blessed with reappointments and rapid and multiple promotions etc.
One of the cases is of a junior clerk, who got multiple promotions and was made officer on special duty (OSD), running all administrative and financial issues of the Sindh Assembly Secretariat while the assembly secretary has been rendered powerless, Pakistan Today has learnt.
According to sources, Muhammad Haroon, who was made OSD (BPS-17), was actually appointed as junior clerk (BS-5) in 1989 and again was reappointed as chamber assistant in (BPS-11) in 1999.
He was again appointed as reporter (BPS-16) on in 2008 but did not work or attend to his duty. The nomenclature of the post of reporter was changed as OSD and post upgraded from (BPS-16) to (BPS-17) in March 2013.
According to sources, Haroon allegedly came closer to Sindh Assembly speaker and started bypassing the powers of Assembly Secretary GM Farooque Buriro. Presently, he is dealing with all the administrative and financial matters of the assembly secretariat besides making transfers and postings of lower employees which falls under the ambit of secretary.
Interestingly, there are many lower officials who were given out of turn promotions and protocols in the secretariat.
Among others, Amolak Das, assistant secretary (BPS-18), was actually a senior scale stenographer (BPS-5) of the services and general administration and coordination department (SGA&CD) and joined Sindh Assembly on deputation basis in 2008. He was then appointed as assistant secretary (BPS-17) in March 2010 and the post of assistant secretary was upgraded to BPS-18 in December 2010, bringing him from ex-cadre to cadre post.
Muhammad Habib, assistant secretary (BPS-18), was appointed as a watchman in 1982 and appointed as junior clerk (BPS-5) in 1989. He was then again appointed as assistant (BPS-11) in 1999 and later reappointed as superintendent (BPS-16) in February 2009.
The post of superintendent held by Muhammad Habib was upgraded to BPS-17 in 2013. He was promoted to assistant secretary BPS-18 on April 1, 2013.
Syed Muhammad Abbas, director finance (BPS-19) was appointed as junior clerk (BPS-5) in 1982 and again appointed as budget officer (BPS-16) in 1995. The post of budget officer was re-designated as assistant secretary (BPS-16) on OPS basis from 2002, which was not provided in rules, that too from ex-cadre to cadre post.
The post was upgraded to BPS-17 in 2006. He was again promoted to accounts officer (BPS-18) in 2010 and the post was re-designated/upgraded to director finance (BPS-19) in 2013.
Pakistan Today repeatedly tried to contact Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, however, he didn’t respond and neither replied to the text messages.
Muhammad Haroon refused to comment and asked to contact Sindh Assembly speaker for comments.
