A correct decision of CM Raisani

By Siddiq Baloch

The Provincial Chief Minister, Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani, has cancelled all the recent appointments made in the Board of Revenue (BOR) saying that they were illegal, unauthorized and the basic laws and rules were not followed. The Chief Minister responded to the massive public complaints that laws and regulations had not been followed. Thus, all the appointments made in the BOR were illegal and without any lawful authority.

For the first time in the recent history, the Chief Minister took such a harsh decision rejecting the appointment orders of BOR with a serious snub to the Minister concerned that crossed all the limits of rules of business and decency. At the same time, he issued instructions that representatives of the Departments of Finance and Services and General Administration should be included in making any appointment meaning that the BOR should not go on its own way in making recruitments in the most sensitive department.

It seems that the decision of the provincial chief executive is tough and meant business to warn all other departments and concerned Ministers not to violate the rules and laws of the land while making any fresh recruitment by flouting merit. It had been the general complaint of the people that the Ministers and officials made illegal recruitments in the past flouting the principle of justice and merit and provided jobs to their own political constituents or otherwise sold to highest bidders, to say the least. For this crime against the State and the society, some of the former Ministers and officials were arrested and found guilty of such offences and ultimately sent to prison for long sentences.

Prevalence of such illegal and unethical practices meant that there is complete administrative anarchy in Balochistan which is seen nowhere in Pakistan. Ministers in the past were blamed for such daring irregularities and flouting the laws of the land as they were in the very good book of the Pakistani establishment and thus they got open general licenses to do what they wanted to do at the cost of people. It had always caused serious embarrassment to the government that its jobs are on sale and not available for the deserving candidates on merit basis. The recent decision of the Chief Minister should send a clear and loud signal to all concerned, particularly the ministers concerned and their hand picked officials that the public jobs in Balochistan are not on sale or created specifically for their political constituents. All the jobs should be filled on merit basis only ensuring transparency and fair play with all the deserving candidates.

(The writer is the editor-in-chief of Daily Balochistan Express, Quetta)