HYDERABAD, Aug 18: The divisional action committee of the 'Commission Pass Lecturers' Hyderabad has appealed to the Sindh governor and chief minister and education minister to save the credibility of the Sindh Public Service Commission by issuing appointment letters to 741 candidates who had passed the written and oral examination and were recommended by the commission for appointment.

Speaking at a news conference at the local press club here on Wednesday, the leaders of the action committee said that out of 16,000 candidates who had applied for the posts of lecturers in 21 subjects, 741 candidates were selected after clearing all formalities and were given offer letters.

The members of the committee said that a reputed private organisation, College of Business Management, had conducted the written examination in Karachi, Sukkur, Hyderabad and declared the results through computerized system to avoid any irregularity.

They said that 3,300 candidates had passed the written examination who for interviews before the SPSC and 741 candidates were recommended for appointment. They said that the education department on the recommendations of the commission had issued offer letters to the selected candidates.

They regretted that the new education minister, Dr Hamida Khuhro, for inexplicable reasons reversed the whole process and announced that the selected candidates will have to reappear in interviews.

They said that the secretary education, Mr Ghulam Ali Pasha has also been removed to facilitate arbitrary and unilateral decisions. They said that SPSC is a statutory body and its credibility has been seriously undermined due to the arbitrary decision of the education minister.

They said that the very credibility of the commission is at stake and this precedent will have very serious ramifications in the future. They said that no complaints were reported about the irregularities in the conduct of written and oral examination for eight months and wondered how the education minister came to know about irregularities after the candidates had been given offer letters.

The leaders of the action committee questioned the bonafides of the education minister's intentions. They resolved to continue their struggle till justice was restored and added that they would also approach the superior judiciary to seek remedy. Those who spoke at the news conference included Muhammad Younus, Shabbir Ahmed Mughal, Mukhtar Ahmed Baig, Riaz Ansari, Muhammad Akram Shaikh and others.

NCAWB: The Director, Nara Canal Area Water Board (NCAWB) has announced here on Tuesday that due to 30 per cent less supply of water at the barrage head, a system of rotation of water supply in the canal is being introduced.

He said that there has been an abrupt fall in River Indus at Sukkur and the rotation programme will continue till there is an improvement in the water supply position from the river.

The Director NCAWB has instructed all the executive engineers to issue revised rotation programmes and to implement the same in letter and spirit with a view to providing water to the tail-enders.

HUNGER STRIKE: JSQM and JSSF activists continued their hunger strike for the 22nd consecutive day outside the press club here on Wednesday. They are protesting against the authorities' inordinate delay in arresting the murderers of JSQM leader, Gul Muhammad Bhatti.

JSQM leaders, Sagar Hanif Burdi, Sanaullah Mugeri, Chacha Qasim Soomro and others accused senior police officers of Hyderabad district police of protecting the killers, and pledged to continue their protest till the arrest of the murderers.