Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has restrained the adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Labour and Human Resources, Senator Saeed Ghani from exercising ministerial powers and chairing the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI)’s meetings.

A division bench comprising chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah and justice Zulifqar Ahmed Khan gave this restraining order on the petition filed by Abdul Sattar Niazi, who had gone to the court questioning the powers of Senator Saeed Ghani to chair the SESSI’s meetings.

The bench issued notices to Sindh chief minister’s principal secretary, Labour & Human Resources department, Saeed Ghani and coordinator to the chief minister, Muhammad Khan Abro, to file their respective comments on the petition till Dec 09.

The petitioner, represented by Advocate Nouman Jamali and Muhammad Ali Lakhani, submitted that the Sindh chief secretary had made a categorical statement in the court that neither have any of the advisers been given ministerial portfolio nor they were exercising any executive authority.

On the contrary, he added, Saeed Ghani while using executive powers vested in the SESSI’s chairman had called a meeting of the SESSI’s governing body. Sindh Employees Social Security Act 2016 requires the chairman to be the minister labour, he added.

Advocate Lakhani contended that Ghani was still exercising the executive authority in violation of the constitution and the judgment of the high court.

Meanwhile, Sindh chief secretary Rizwan Ahmed Memon told the judges that none of the advisers was exercising any executive authority, nor were they given ministerial powers in the wake of its judgment.

The high court had earlier given a detailed verdict on the petition challenging the appointment of the CM’s adviser on law Barrister Murtaza Wahab and the grant of ministerial portfolio to him.

The court had held that the advisers cannot exercise the powers of ministers, nor can they hold any portfolio.

Earlier on Monday, a single bench while hearing a suit against the PPP Senator had restrained him from convening the 145th meeting of SESSI which was scheduled to be held on Dec 15.

The order had come on the lawsuit filed by Qazi Abdul Wahab and seven other employees of the SESSI.

Plaintiffs’ lawyer Nouman Jamali contended that the adviser to CM on Labour and Human Resources was not competent to chair meetings of SESSI in terms of Section 5 of the Sindh Employees Social Security Act 2016.

He told the judge that the adviser on Labour & Human Resources had called a meeting of the SESSI’s governing body in defiance of the court order that restrained the advisers from exercising the ministerial powers.