Clarification

Ministry of Commerce has strongly refuted a news item published in this newspaper with the caption ""parchi" did play role in selection process: Secretary". According to a clarification issued by the Ministry of Commerce, the Secretary Commerce's comments have been quoted out of context and misinterpreted.
The Secretary Commerce, while speaking with your correspondent said that it was not unusual in Pakistan to try to influence the selection process by using references. However, he did not say that any of those references was able to influence the selection process. On the contrary, the selection process was above board and fair to such an extent that one of the lady officers who were selected for one of the most important posting stations (London) has declined the offer. The correspondent is incorrect in reporting that she was now being sent to Berlin. She has declined the offer due to her inability to leave Pakistan and the same inability applies to Berlin as well. There is another lady officer who has already been selected for Berlin.
In the news item, the correspondent has also stated that the Secretary Commerce received recommendations from the Prime Minister, Commerce Minister, Religious Minister, Information Minister, Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman and Information Minister. The Secretary Commerce has strongly denied having mentioned any of those dignitaries and has also denied any knowledge as if he is being tipped as Chief Secretary Sindh.
The correspondent has also mentioned that the Islamabad High Court in its order on Writ Petition 801/2013 noted that the criterion used by the MoC was to select the candidates based on nepotism. The correspondent has misinterpreted the honourable court's order. Indeed, the court has passed no such order or even any such observation. On the contrary, the honourable court has only mentioned the grievance of the petitioner, which the correspondent has created an imputed it to the honourable court's order.
BR staff reporter responds: Each and every word attributed to Munir Qureshi, Secretary Commerce in the report is accurate and those portions of the talk the Secretary indicated were off the record did not form part of the report.
Qureshi's response to a query of pressure to select commercial counsellors on the basis of nepotism was "You are asking as if you do not live in Pakistan. This also works in the USA. I faced tremendous pressure. No other Commerce Secretary would have been able to resist to the extent I did."
The names of politicians and Generals who exerted influence to have people of their choice appointed in stations abroad are based on documents available with Business Recorder. An example when the Secretary did propose not following the process/rules of selection is his summary dated 17 December 2012 when he recommended to the Prime Minister to select Muhammad Khalid Awan, Honorary Investment Counsellor New York as Commercial Counsellor who did not appear in the test conducted by LUMS as required. In his summary which is available with this correspondent he stated "As the 2005 policy for selection of trade officers has been approved by the Prime Minister, only the PM can provide exemption to a candidate to be considered for selection as trade officer when he has not appeared in the written test."