KARACHI: Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan was informed on Tuesday that Sindh Protection against Women Harassment at Workplaces Ombudsman Syed Pir Ali Shah was removed from his duties and an inquiry for allegedly misusing his authority and making illegal appointments was being carried outagainst him.
The apex court’s three-judge bench, headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim, directed the Sindh government to appoint new ombudsman within three weeks. It also directed the government to submit the inquiry report against the former ombudsman after completion of the inquiry.
The court had converted a letter of one Aneela Khan into a constitutional petition. Aneela had asked it to take notice of the alleged corrupt practices at the provincial ombudsman office.
Earlier in the outset hearing, the court had directed the authorities to place on record the summaries regarding appointment and subsequent extension of the tenure of Shah as the provincial ombudsman.
The top court also directed the government to submit the details of the appointments made during his tenure and the list of appointees who were said to be his relatives. The judges asked the government to submit details of the grants disbursed to him so far and the amount spent by him and the cases that he decided in his tenure.
Aneela Khan had written a letter to the Supreme Court, asking it to take notice of the alleged corrupt practices at the provincial ombudsman office. The court had converted her letter into constitutional petition.
Aneela had said in her letter that the provincial ombudsman’s conduct in dealing with the cases of sexual harassment was suspicious as he was forcing compromises instead of bringing offenders to book. She had informed the top court that Syed Pir Ali Shah was appointed in 2012 and given extension because of his close relations with the former Sindh chief minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah. There is no provision for such an extension of term in law, she contended.
“Shah had appointed many persons in the ombudsman office on the basis of favoritism and nepotism. He is involved in financial corruption and has established a ‘ghost NGO’ that is run by his own family members,” she added.
