KARACHI: In the absence of its regular director general, Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), an attached department of Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) is in process of advertising more than 100 appointments from BPS-10 to 19 in a sheer violation of office memorandum of the Establishment Division, well informed sources told Business Recorder.
They feared that the authority is not following the allocation of regional quotas as per Roster of vacant post for direct recruitment for advertisement. They said that the complete roster has already been sent to MoST vide PSQCA letter No.7(4)PSQCA/HQ/2021(450) in August 23, 2021.
Sources were of the view that appoints can’t be advertised when the regular post of the DG of the sole national standard body is left vacant. MoST has not been able to fill the post with a regular DG PSQCA since the retirement of DG Abdul Aleem Memon on 25 September, 2021.
“Additional Charge of DG PSQCA is like a temporary arrangement to cater for the day to day affairs of the organization on honorary basis,” they said and gave a reference of an office memorandum of Establishment Division dated March 20, 2020 on the subject of exercise of administrative/ financial powers while holding a look after charge, which says the office entrusted with look after charge are not empowered to take policy decision. Appointments and promotions do not fall in the category of the day to day business of the organization.”
Also, they said these appointments are being made at a time when dozens of senior officials both technical and non-technical are awaiting for their departmental promotions for the last one decade or more. Some most senior officials were eventually retired without being promoted to their deserved scale. Though, the Senate Standing Committee had recommended PSQCA to promote senior officials in accordance with the law, but to no avail.
They said MoST on December 21, 2021, assigned the additional charge of the post of Director General PSQCA to Syed Ata-ur-Rehman PAS/BS-21) an additional Secretary MoST for a period of three months or till the appointment of a regular incumbent of the post in MP-I scale, whichever is earlier.
They also said on December 9, 2020, Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed a writ petition filed by Rashid Mehmood Chaudhry, seeking a direction to respondent - Pakistan Hall Authority (PHA) an attach department of MoST to issue an appointment letter for the post of Director Admin and Finance (BS-19) against the Punjab Quota in PHA.
The court said in its judgement, “Since the case at hand, the Director General PHA who was holding the said post on looking after charge basis had chaired the departmental selection committee and had also made recommendation for making appointments, this was contrary to the office memorandum of the Establishment Division No-8/3/2022-R-3, dated 20/3/20220. In view of above, I don’t find any merit in this petition, which is accordingly dismissed with no order as to costs.”
Sources said the secretary Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) Humera Ahmad had directed PSPQCA’s all heads of departments (HODs) to conduct Departmental Promotions before the publishing any advertisement for the new appointments.
They said this is not the first time that PSQCA is going to make ‘controversial’ appointments, in past a number of people were inducted on political grounds and against the regional quota system. Still some cases in this connection are pending with the investigation agencies.
The MoST fact finding committee’s report in 2014 revealed massive irregularities in the appointments ‘package Aghaz-e-Huquqe Balochistan’ in PSQCA in 2011.
The report stated that “It has been observed with great concern that there is no consolidated record regarding sanctioned strength of PSQCA, and post filed in or vacant against these posts. PSQCA needs to prepare a consolidated document regarding their sanctioned strength duty endorsed by the ministry of science and technology and reference in future.”
A total 38 contingent paid employees of PSQCA in BPS-01 to BPS-17 were regularised on the recommendations of the cabinet sub-committee on regularisation of contract employees/ daily wages on 30-7-2012, however the report says that during the examinations, the copies of the record asked for by the committee were not provided by PSQCA despite repeated requests. No record was available regarding approval of the director general PSQCA for initial appointment of these 38 employees, as well as their subsequent extension in contractual period.
Syed Ata-ur-Rehman who holds the additional charge of the post of Director General PSQCA when contacted for his version, confirmed that PSQCA is going to fill the vacant posts as per the government’s policy. The process in this regard is underway, but it will certainly take time for the advertisement to be published. He said he would carry out PSQCA affairs with professional dedication and utmost loyalty and in accordance with the law, as long as the new regular DG is not appointed.
Business Recorder also tried to contact media department PSQCA, and came to know that no official has been assigned the office charge, since the retirement of Rehmatullah Memon, the media in charge, from service.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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