Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh government gave an undertaking to the Sindh High Court on Wednesday that no Adviser would exercise Ministerial Powers in the wake of its judgment.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah disposed of the petition after Sindh Chief Secretary, Rizwan Memon assured it that its orders were being implemented in letter and spirit.

The bench had taken up the petition filed by Abdul Sattar Niazi, who had gone to the court against Saeed Ghani, the Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister on Labour and Human Resources for using executive authority.

In response to the court’s show-cause notice, Memon showed up in court along with an explanation, saying that no adviser was using Executive Authority and all the department’s secretaries were informed in this regard.

He further assured the judges that Muhammad Khan Abro, who was appointed as Saeed Ghani’s coordinator on his instructions, would resign.

The court had earlier issued a show-cause notice to the chief secretary to explain as to why the proceedings for breach of the undertaking filed by him before this court should not be initiated against him.

Memon had given an undertaking on Dec 07 categorically stating that after the judgment of this court, none of the advisers was exercising any executive authority, nor were they given any ministerial powers and they were only consulting the Chief Minister. The petitioner’s lawyer had informed the court that despite the court’s detailed judgment against the advisers to the Chief Minister using executive powers, Saeed Ghani, the adviser to the CM on Labour and Human Resources, was using ministerial powers.

To substantiate his claim, he placed on record letters of the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) addressed to Ghani acting in his capacity as SESSI’s chairman. However, the counsel contended, only a Minister can act as the chairman according to the Sindh Employees Social Security Act 2016.