An aspirant whose legal right to employment had been denied approached the Sindh High Court against the procedure and conduct of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC).
Candidate Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, who had earlier applied for the post of Editor (BPS-18) at the Ministry of Defence, challenged the unexplained re-advertisement of the vacancy despite the completion of the recruitment process, including interviews.
The Sindh High Court, Circuit Bench, Hyderabad, on 13 August 2025, issued notices to the FPSC, the Federal Government, the Deputy Attorney General, and the Advocate General of Sindh. In the last week of August, the Court directed the respondents to submit their written replies within days, which, to date, have not been submitted. The SHC fixed the matter for hearing later in November 2025. However, the petitioner, Mr Shah, has filed an urgent appeal to have his case taken up on a priority basis.
The petitioner, a Senior Information Officer serving in the Sindh Government, has filed a constitutional petition alleging that the FPSC failed to declare the outcome of the 2023 recruitment cycle and instead chose to advertise the same post once again in July 2024, marking the fourth attempt to fill the position since 2014.
According to details, the FPSC initially advertised the position in 2014 and again in 2019, both of which reportedly lapsed without conclusion. A third advertisement was issued in 2023, under which the petitioner cleared the written examination and was shortlisted as the sole candidate for an interview. The interview was subsequently conducted in December 2024.
Mr Shah, who holds a BS (Hons) in Mass Communication and an MA in English Literature from the University of Sindh, with 12 years of professional experience in the information sector, told The News that he was led to a “legitimate expectation of appointment” after a “positive and comprehensive” interview before the FPSC panel. However, the FPSC has not declared the result to date.
In July 2024, the FPSC published a fresh advertisement for the same Editor (BPS-18) position. The petitioner, in his plea, argues that this move is “in blatant violation of merit, transparency, and administrative fairness,” as the previous recruitment cycle was never formally concluded, nor was any outcome officially communicated.
Mr Shah told The Friday Times that multiple written and telephonic attempts to seek clarification—followed by an in-person visit to the FPSC headquarters and a submission to the facilitation centre—also failed to yield any official response, the petition claims.
The petitioner has approached the Sindh High Court seeking judicial intervention, stating that no federal recruiting body can constitutionally abandon a concluded recruitment process without reason or notification, particularly after the interview stage.
He further contends that during the first hearing, counsel for the FPSC requested ten days to file a reply, but “have since been employing dilatory tactics” to delay adjudication.
The petition warns that the FPSC’s handling of the case “fosters a perception of arbitrariness” and erodes public trust in the country’s premier federal recruitment authority. The episode, it states, is “emblematic of a recurring problem faced by candidates navigating opaque public-sector hiring mechanisms, where merit is often eclipsed by procedural ambiguity.”
The petitioner has demanded a formal explanation from the FPSC justifying the re-advertisement of the post and the non-declaration of the previous interview result.
Legal expert Advocate Dhramendar says the case could become a test of whether the FPSC can be compelled to ensure transparency where recruitment is inexplicably stalled, even after the final selection stage.
Secretary of the Federal Public Service Commission, Rameez Ahmad Sheikh, told TFT that since the matter is sub judice, it would not be appropriate to comment further.
Secretary Sheikh said that the FPSC conducts all recruitment processes strictly in accordance with merit, fairness, and the law.
He concluded that the Court has sought a reply from the FPSC and that the Commission will be submitting its response before the Court accordingly.