Karachi: For the second time, the Sindh High Court has shown its annoyance over the non-compliance of its directives, ordering the establishment secretary to appear before it in person. It has called for an appropriate response regarding the non-approval of the proforma promotion of a retired customs official.
Long-standing dispute over promotion rights
This petition was made by Razia Sultana Tahir, who worked for more than three decades in Pakistan Customs. While retiring in BS-21 in 2013, she claimed that her service should be upgraded to BS-22 in 2012. Since her petition was not entertained, she filed her case before the Federal Service Tribunal, where she got her case won. However, the decision of the tribunal was confirmed by the apex court.
But in spite of their favorable decisions, no progress was seen in the case and therefore, a direction was issued by the high court that Tahir’s petition would be reconsidered in two months. However, years passed with no tangible progress, hence she filed an application for contempt of the court.
Court shows concern over repeated delays
During the latest hearing, the court noted that officials continued to rely on arguments already rejected earlier. Although a deputy secretary submitted a report stating that a high-powered selection board would review the case, the bench was not convinced. It pointed out that it had already instructed authorities to process the matter through circulation instead.
