KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday directed the provincial chief secretary to file complete details of the cases of government servants who entered into a plea bargain and voluntary return scheme with the National Accountability Bureau in graft cases by Dec 21.

The two-judge bench headed by Justice Nadeem Akhtar also issued notices to the NAB chairman, Sindh chief secretary and other respondents as well as the top federal and provincial law officers on a petition of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan against reappointments and promotions of officials in different departments of Sindh after entering into a plea bargain and voluntary return scheme with NAB.

MQM-P deputy convener Kanwar Naveed Jameel moved the SHC and contended that the provincial government had allowed promotions and postings of more than 500 officials after plea bargain in corruption cases.

The lawyer for the petitioner argued that it was a gross violation of law as such officials came within the ambit of misconduct and needed to be departmentally proceeded against since they admitted to having acquired assets through corruption.

MQM-P contends that over 500 beneficiaries in graft cases reappointed, promoted in violation of law

He further maintained that such officials could not hold any public office either in the federal or provincial government or in any state-owned organisation.

The counsel also questioned Section 25(a) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 for authorising the NAB chairman to accept such offers and asked the SHC to examine vires of this provision since he contended that it was in conflict with the provisions of the Constitution where such powers can only be exercised by a judicial forum.

Report called about child beggary

Another bench of the SHC on Thursday sought a progress report from the police about the cases registered against the mafia involved in child beggary as well as action taken so far by Dec 24.

Director general of the Sindh Child Authority Azeem-ur-Rehman Meo informed the bench that they had sent 92 complaints to the Sindh police in different districts for lodging FIRs for forcing children into begging.

The two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar asked a deputy superintendent of police present in the court on behalf of the police legal branch, about the progress in the proceedings lodged against the mafia involved in child beggary. However, he contended that he was not aware of it.

The bench directed the DSP to visit the office of SCA DG and collect details of all complaints and submit a progress report that how many FIRs had been lodged in the metropolis as well as other parts of the province and what action had so far been taken, including the judicial proceedings.

The DG also submitted the job description of the child protection officer as directed by the bench in the last hearing.

In the last hearing, the bench had called the focal person of police to update it about the action taken against the mafia involved in child beggary and also directed the DG SCA to submit job description of child protection officers after deploring that the officers on such posts were holding additional charge and no permanent officials had been appointed to perform this task.

The petition was filed seeking the implementation of the Sindh Child Protection Authority Act 2011 in the province to protect the rights of children and to save them from domestic violence and abuse.

The petitioner contended that thousands of street children were roaming about in the city and several were being used in criminal activities, begging and other anti-social activities.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2020