ISLAMABAD: Six organisations of the Ministry of Science and Technology have been run headless for long, which is hampering their performance.

This was revealed in the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology, which met with Mushtaq Ahmad Khan in the chair here on Tuesday, and was attended among others by Senator Hidayatullah, Muhammad Asad Ali Khan Junejo, Kamran Michael, and senior officers from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the HEC, the PSQCA, the PCSIR, and the COMSATS along with all concerned.

The committee took up various issues of importance including irregularities in seniority list of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), details of on-going corruption cases at the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and pending promotion cases at both organisations.

In addition to this, development of an ecosystem for promotion and glamorisation of science and technology and status of on-going projects were discussed in detail.

The meeting commenced with details of the fact-finding committee regarding irregularities in the seniority list of the officers of the PCSIR.

Members were informed that the matter was resolved as per recommendations of the Committee.

A final seniority list will be submitted to the ministry at the earliest.

The committee was also informed that a list of all eligible promotion cases had been submitted to the ministry.

Mushtaq Ahmad was of the view that organisations under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) must ensure that the system was formulated to ensure promotions on time, so that such disputes did not arise.

The committee, while discussing the investigation into corruption in the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority, was informed that there were seven cases being worked on which had some procedural errors.

While discussing details of corruption cases at the PSQCA, the committee took strict notice of officers not being suspended during investigations. It was asserted that this would impact inquiry outcome and was important to ensure transparency. The Committee chairman said that it was recommended one year ago to suspend corrupt people. If corrupt officials are sitting in high positions, how will the investigation be transparent?

The committee directed that two officers should be suspended immediately. The Committee chairman said that ghost employees were sitting abroad and salaries had been sent to their accounts.

These cases should be sent to the NAB, said Kamran Michael. The NAB only has to arrest the political people, he added.

The chairman of the committee said such cases could also be sent to the FIA.

While discussing the progress on the initiation of a dual degree programme by COMSATS, the committee directed the HEC to withdraw the court case against it.

Mushtaq Ahmad lauded the on-going projects under the umbrella of the MoST, and said that all possible steps must be taken so that timelines were met.

This, he said, was imperative to the progress of the country.

Details of six projects were shared with the committee.

Reviewing the details of developing an ecosystem that will promote and glamorise science and technology in the country, the committee was of the view that development of a central ecosystem that is governed by a common platform is imperative to the progress of the country.

The committee took strong notice of a dearth of meeting of the National Commission on Science and Technology, since 2002.

The Chairman Committee, Senator Mushtaq Ahmad, said that meetings must be conducted on a regular basis as this was the only way forward to success. He asserted that a meeting of the executive committee be called immediately.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020