SHC issues notices to chief secretary, others

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the chief secretary of Sindh and others on a petition filed against Karachi Administrator Iftikhar Shallwani for holding two offices — administrator’s and commissioner’s — simultaneously.

The court sought replies in the second week of January after the petitioner, Mehmood Akhter Naqvi, pointed out that the appointment of Shallwani as the city’s commissioner violated the Supreme Court’s orders regarding deputation on posting and additional charges given to officers.

He said that the administrator was heading the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and was the commissioner as well.

“Therefore, he should be removed from the post of Karachi commissioner.”

On this, Justice Nadeem Akhter questioned why an additional charge was given to Shalwani? “Do we not have other talented officers in the province?”

Shallwani has served as Karachi commissioner for almost two years. He was appointed as commissioner in October 2018.

In September this year, he took over the post of the administrator of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.

Meanwhile, the Sindh Home Department started implementation of the SHC orders to publish the names of proclaimed offenders and absconders in newspapers.

The department published the names of absconders and proclaimed offenders in Sukhur in the newspapers.

A total of 7152 proclaimed offenders and absconders are in the Sukhur region.