SC summons report in Sindh Police illegal recruitment reference

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday summoned progress report of the NAB reference about illegal recruitment in Sindh Police while hearing bail petitions of accused, ARY News reported.

Sindh’s former police chief Ghulam Haider Jamali and other senior police officers facing corruption charges in the case.

Jamali, then AIG Finance Fida Hussain Shah and other senior police officers were named in a reference of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for allegedly causing a loss of more than Rs500 million to the national exchequer by misusing their powers.

“It is a matter of violation of rules in recruitment,” Justice Umar Ata Bandial remarked.

Defence counsel of the accused in his arguments said that the accused have been in jail for last two years, while the court had ordered conclusion of the reference within two months.

“Key accused in the case including former IG Police have already been on bail”, the lawyer said.

“Why the reference proceedings were not completed despite the court orders”, Justice Bandial questioned.

NAB prosecutor said,” the testimonies from NAB have been completed and it didn’t cause any delay in hearing.”

“The court will summon report, if the reference proceedings have been completed,” Justice Bandia said.

The bench demanded report from the accountability court Karachi within two weeks.

It was alleged in the reference that Jamali and other police officers misused their authority and circumvented required procedure to make illegal appointments in Sindh Reserve Police.

The NAB had carried out an investigation into the matter in the light of a report of the three-member fact-finding committee which was appointed by the Supreme Court to inquire irregularities in recruitment in the Sindh Police department.