KARACHI: Sindh Local Government Department (LGD), intervening in matters of district municipal corporations, had been unjustifiably appointing officers of its choice, in central, south and east district municipal corporations, officials disclosed. In violation of local body laws and in defiance of higher courts’ directives, LGD was appointing persons not competent for the jobs, it was said. Afaq Saeed was appointed as municipal commissioner (MC) in District South and Akthar Sheikh as MC in District East, with an additional charge of MC in District Central. He had appointed several officials in District East and also put his favourites in District Central, sources said. These officials had been relieved from Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on the directives of Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) on charge of corruption; and non cadre appointments serving departments other than their respective mother departments. Sheikh previously held the post of director local tax in KMC. Graft inquiries against these officials were also pending at Anti-Corruption Establishment on pretext of submission of false documents for their postings, transfer and promotion. They had also appointed incompetent persons in different departments including advertising and tax revenue departments, sources said. Sindh Local Government Department Secretary Ramzan had appointed Syed Abdul Ghani, in basic pay scale (BPS) 18, in DMC East as director advertising while he had served KMC as a director and later removed from services on directives of the SCP. Rashid Baig, serving as director DMC East, had been directed by LGD to rejoin KMC, his parent department, but investigations revealed he was originally a DMC East official. MC East had appointed Akhlaq Ahmad, of BPS 17, directing him to look after the official matters of advertising and revenue instead of giving this official responsibility to Rashid Baig, a competent official, sources said. DMC Central Advertisement Director Shamoona Ali also had additional charge of tax revenue, education, administration and land enforcement, in violation of rules. She had changed her service cadre from a school teacher in Malir District to present status in violation of by-laws of the services. DMC Central Chairman Rehan Hashmi said Sindh government was using its powers in the wrong direction. Akhtar Sheikh and Shamoona were examples of such anomalies, he added. “Districts civic bodies cannot deliver any good until and unless eligible officials would not be appointed”, he remarked. LGD had been violating the SCP’s directives in complying transfer of officials to their parent departments, besides still failure to follow SCP’s directions in matter of OPS, non-cadre, cadre and unjustifiably promoting officials, sources said. Published in Daily Times, October 29th 2017.