KARACHI, Jan25, 2012: Sindh has been losing more than Rs10 billion annually by paying salaries to over 40,000 ghost and nearly 10,000 moonlighting workers employed in various provincial government departments, two provincial ministers admitted.This startling disclosure was made by provincial Information Minister Shazia Marri and Senior Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq who said that the ghost employees were detected virtually in all departments working under Sindh government. Shazia Marri informed media during a Press conference that after the preliminary investigation it was found out that over 40,000 employees were “ghost” while over 1,000 were doing two government jobs and drawing salaries. “Computerised date of some 4, 01,388 employees collected from the Accountant General Sindh office has revealed that the provincial government has 21,438 ghost employees”, she told newsmen.
Similarly Marri said the manual data showed that the government had as many as 20,450 ghost employees who had been drawing salaries on a monthly basis from the provincial exchequer for years. More than 300 of these “ghost” workers had died months and years ago but were still paid salaries to third person with the connivance of officials. Pir Mazharul Haq, also claimed that he had detected hundreds of his department’s employees were moonlighting as journalists.
Similarly Marri said the manual data showed that the government had as many as 20,450 ghost employees who had been drawing salaries on a monthly basis from the provincial exchequer for years. More than 300 of these “ghost” workers had died months and years ago but were still paid salaries to third person with the connivance of officials. Pir Mazharul Haq, also claimed that he had detected hundreds of his department’s employees were moonlighting as journalists.