ISLAMABAD  - Top bureaucrat Nargis Sethi, former and incumbent secretaries of ministry of port and shipping, former chairmen Port Qasim Authority (PQA) and other were involved in illegal appointments in Port and Shipping and Port Qasim Authority.
Abdul Jabbar Memon, petitioner, alleged this in a statement submitted in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. He stated that Nargis Sethi, then acting principal secretary to the prime minister, ex-secretary ministry of port and shipping Muhammad Saleem Khan, incumbent secretary port and shipping Dr Khawar Jameel, former chairman PQA Vice-Admiral (Retd) Asad Qureshi, Rear Admiral (Retd) Muhammad Shafi, chairman PQA, and others were involved in illegal appointments in Port and Shipping and PQA.
Memon had filed the application in response to Supreme Court's 4th December 2013 order. He had earlier submitted record of 1,091 persons appointed in Port Qasim Authority in different grades from BPS-17 to BPS-21 during the last five years.
In the last hearing, the federation through CMA had admitted that 891 appointments were made from grade 02 to 21 illegally by the previous management of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping and Port Qasim Authority in violation of Service Rules and Law. All these appointments were made from two districts of Karachi, it added.
According to the rules, Chairman Port Qasim Authority (PQA) is the appointing authority from BPS-17 to BPS-19, while the director general of every PQA department could make appointments from BPS-02 to BPS-15 in their departments. The prime minister is the appointing authority from BPS-20 and above.
The petitioner prayed that the appointments, which were made contrary to rules and law be declared being illegal, unconstitutional, violative of law and rules in abuse of exercise of authority.
He prayed the officials, mentioned in the petition, be summoned in the Court to explain the factual position regarding illegal appointments made during 2007 to 2013 despite the fact the Supreme Court on 31-10-2011 had granted stay order against further appointments and promotions and transfers in the Port Qasim Authority and the Ministry. He demanded that action be taken against those officials.
The petitioner also demanded the federal government be directed to pay him all salary/allowances and arrears as secretary. Memon was appointed Secretary (BPS-19) in PQA but was forcibly relieved from the PQA on the verbal order.