The Pakistan Terhreek-e-Insaf government which claims that education sector is its priority yet failed to fill the post of executive director (ED) in the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan despite announcing the vacancy twice in the recent past.

The Chairman of the highest regulatory authority of education Dr Tariq Banuri recently advertised the post for HEC executive director for the third time in order to appoint person of his own choice. Sources told Business Recorder that the chairman fails to find "capable" person after giving two advertisements. Perhaps there is a certain person that he wants to appoint against the said post, the sources added.

According to the sources, the post is lying vacant since October 22, 2018, when former ED Dr Arshad Ali resigned over plagiarism charges. After his resignation, HEC's China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project consultant Lt-Gen Asghar (retd) was given the additional charge of this post. The sources added that Tariq Banuri wants to run the day to day affairs of the commission on adhocism.

They also said that Dr Banuri badly failed to make appointment on this administrative post despite advertising it twice. According to the HEC Act, the process of appointment of executive director should be completed in three months but it unfortunately it could not be done even after the lapse of one year.

Chairman Prime Ministers Task Force on Science and Technology Dr Atta ur Rehman said that delay in the appointment of permanent executive director HEC is not good for the organization and suggested to fill this post at the earliest.

"I don't know anything in this regard. The screening committee has to send me some names before I can take them to the selection board to decide," said Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri when asked regarding advertisement given for the third time for the appointment of ED HEC.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019