Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court issued a show-cause notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s director general over his failure to turn up before it to submit the record of ‘political appointments’ in Madeji’s municipal department in Dist Shikarpur.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah ordered, “Let a show-cause notice be issued to the DG NAB to explain as to why proceedings for disobedience and disrespect to court should not be initiated against him.” “He should be present in person along with reply on the next hearing.”

The bench had taken up a petition filed by Advocate Dur Mohammad Shah, who had gone to the court against the civic authorities for failing to maintain cleanliness in Madeji Town.

The judges observed that despite specific directions for appearance of the DG, neither did he appear nor did any of the NAB’s prosecutor showed up, which amounted to disrespecting the court.

The hearing was put off until Dec 06.

During the previous hearing, the local government secretary had informed the judges that action could not taken be against the employees who had been appointed illegally as their record was taken away by the NAB in connection with an inquiry against the former local bodies secretary for making illegal appointments.

The court had issued notice to the DG NAB to appear in court and present the photocopies of all the record in court so that action against the illegal appointments should be initiated in compliance with the directions of the court.

The court had earlier on Oct 25 directed the local government secretary to take action against the employees appointed in violation of the rules and submit compliance report.

This order had come in the wake of the statement made by the local government secretary who candidly conceded that certain appointments were made on political basis and the government had decided to take action against them. Most of the employees were appointed on non-sanctioned posts, he added.

Madeji Town Committee chairman Najaf Ali Khan informed the judges that he tried his best to clear the town of garbage and sewerage but failed to do so because of acute shortage of staff. In the past, the authorities had made appointments to the civic department on political basis.

“The political appointees have refused to collect garbage and clean up the town, claiming to be appointed for white-collar posts.”

The petitioner had earlier submitted that heaps of garbage lined the streets of Madeji Town with sewerage water overflowing due to chocked sewer pipes.

The civic authorities had miserably failed to discharge their duties, he said alleging that most of the development budget of Madeji is being misused instead of being utilized.