ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has recently promoted over a dozen officials in violation of set rules and regulations from BS-18/RO-13 to BS-19/RO-14 and BS-19 to BS 20, it is learnt.
According to sources, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) DRAP and Dr Obaidullah Director Admin DRAP promoted 14 officials to the next grades, of which, 13 from grade 18 to 19 and one from 19 to 20.Sources said that these officials were not fulfilling the required criteria which include a mandatory management course.
Sources said that as per the decision of the Federal Services Tribunal (FST), management courses are a must for any official of the DRAP for the promotion to the next grade which was held mandatory in Appeal No1646(R)CS/2018 with MP titled Dr Noor Muhammad Shah–vs-M/o NHSR&C etc, judgment sheet, in the Federal Service Tribunal, Islamabad.
The criteria of promotion for director have been prescribed, wherein, it has been specifically mentioned that the DRAP officers/employees would have to complete customised courses. Therefore, the appellant is not justified in claiming exemption from customised training. The judgment of the FST dated 11.07.2009 is not relevant in the instant case, as the situation has been changed after the promulgation of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan Act–2012.Keeping in view the above, the appeal having no force of merits is hereby rejected. Since the main appeal is rejected, therefore, the MP is also disposed of accordingly.
The above judgment of FST was further upheld by the Supreme Court of Pakistan vide CP No2325 of 2019 titled, Dr Noor Muhammad Shah–vs- Federation of Pakistan through secretary Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination, Local Government and Rural Development Complex, Islamabad and others.
This is also clear from the reply of the DRAP through Director (Admin, HR and Log) in the above case in the FST, that no promotion shall be granted to any officer without management course; herein, the Ministry of Health has been devolved to provinces; and the DRAP is a new department/authority established under a new ministry after 18th amendment in the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Pakistan Young Pharmacist Association (PYPA) has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take notice of these promotions in the DRAP as the officials were promoted to the next grades without passing the mandatory management course.
The PYPA also accused the DRAP CEO, Asim Rauf, and Direction Admin Dr Obaidullah of taking a huge amount of bribe to omit the condition of the management course for the promotion of officers of the DRAP through the Policy Board. Whereby, Policy Board is formed U/s 9 of the DRAP Act, 2012 and its functions are defined U/s 11 of the DRAP Act, 2012. The Policy Board has no powers to overrule or change the Act of Parliament or orders of the Supreme Court/High Court/FST. It is suffice that the promotions made by Asim Rauf CEO DRAP, Obaidullah acting Director Admin DRAP, and Fakhruddin Amir acting Director H&OTC DRAP from BS-18/RO-13 to BS-19/RO-14 were declared illegal by the Inquiry Committee of Ministry of National Health Service, Coordination and Regulation on the order of the prime minister.
In most of the cases, maliciously, illegally and by abuse of official powers, the Policy Board is making decisions for wrongful gains, which are in violation of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, orders of Courts of Law and Acts of Parliament, and this act of Policy Board is a heinous crime.
By abuse of official powers, the Policy Board has increased the salaries of the DRAP employees many folds without the approval of the Ministry of Finance.
The DRAP employees are also getting health professional allowance, which is illegal. The auditor general of Pakistan has made audit paras on these unauthorised/illegal withdrawals of exaggerated salaries and health professional allowance.
The PYPA has urged the relevant authorities to take stern action against the officials concerned who have violated the set rules and regulations as well as violated the Supreme Court’s orders.
Business Recorder made several attempts to get the version of the DRAP CEO but till the filling of this report, Asim Rauf had not responded.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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