The Executive Director, Directorate of Parks and Horticulture
Department, City District Government Karachi (CDGK),
Liaqat Ali Khan has been promoted from grade 20 to 21 as
a “personal reward for his services” despite the fact that no
such grade exists in the department.
Despite the fact that several complaints were lodged against
Khan at the Anti-Corruption Establishment last year and
that the Local Fund Audit had raised objection over his
promotion, the man is drawing a salary of a grade 21 official.
According to documents available with The News, Karachi
Administrator Fazlur Rehman, in the official memorandum,
had approved the promotion of Liaqat Ali Khan to grade 21
as a ‘personal reward’ for his services on April 30, 2010.
Another document, dated April 28, 2010, which is signed by
the administrator, states that “Liaqat Ali Khan
(Tamgha-e-Imtiaz) has been serving as director/head of Parks
and Horticulture Department (CDGK) for the last 35 year”.
However, sources informed this scribe that Khan was appointed
as head of the department during the tenure of former
city Nazim Naimutullah Khan. Before him, Hanif Nasir had
served as director general Parks and Horticulture for around
20 years.
The sources said that during the period of Hanif Nasir,
Liaqat Ali Khan served as his deputy. The officer in question
was hired during the period of A K Khan in grade 16, the
sources said, adding his entire service career was even less
than 35 years.
When contacted, Khan confirmed that he was promoted to
grade 21 as a reward for his “prolonged services”. When he
was reminded of “any possible misunderstanding” about his
tenure as the head of the department, he said the word
“director” was equivalent to ‘head’ and that he had been
the director of the department during the said period.
He said that he was promoted to the present scale two
months back.
The Local Fund Audit (LFA), which approves the salaries
of government employees, had raised objections over the
three resolutions passed by the administrator, CDGK
entrusted in him vide Government of Sindh notification
No SO-A (LG)/4 (23)/2010 dated 09-04-2010. In a letter
dated May 10, 2010, the LFA had raised some objections
over the promotion of Khan and two other cases of promotions
and up-grading.
It had stated there was ban on the government for “recreation,
re-designation and up-gradation” of posts. “The Finance
Department GOS circular letter # FD (SR-IV)2-43/2008,
dated 14-09-2009, is also referred with regard to the ban,”
the letter added.
It also stated that City Council could only approve the number
of posts under Section 39(n) of the SLGO, 2001, on the
recommendation of the city government as part of the budget
statement, which is subject to the approval of the government.
“In view of above, it is requested that approval of the
government should please be obtained before issue of
implementation orders by taking any action on the above
resolutions,” the letter added.
According to the sources, two other such cases of promotion
could not succeed but Khan’s case finally got success and
he is drawing his salary as per the approved mentioned
resolution.
