ISLAMABAD: The new Director General of PSQCA, who assumed additional charge of the authority a week ago, has made a major reshuffling of key officials in order to streamline and improve the affairs of the institution.
Through notifications issued here on Monday, officials holding key posts like Deputy Director Finance/Admin and Director Import/Exports were transferred or repatriated, with their positions filled by other officials within the authority.
PSQCA has faced criticism for its previous failures in performance, cases of corruption, irregularities, and illegal appointments/promotions.
As per the notifications, Ali Muhammad Muhammad Bukhari, Deputy Director Finance, who also held the charge of Deputy Director Admin, was transferred to Deputy Director SDC Lahore with immediate effect and until further orders. Audit officer Ahsan Karim has been given the charge of Deputy Director (Office)/signature at Karachi Office.
Through another notification, Ejaz Panwar, Director Imports/Exports, has been repatriated to his parent department PCSIR, while Ali Bux, Director Standards, has been assigned the additional charge with immediate effect.
Another notification reveals that Abdul Waheed Memon, Deputy Director (Internal Audit and Technical Regulations), has been transferred and posted as Deputy Director Admin for three months or until further orders.
Similarly, some other lower-ranking officials have also been transferred within the authority.
It’s worth noting that the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) recently assigned the additional charge of DG PSQCA to Ms. Ismat Gul Khattak, in response to directives from the Islamabad High Court. With the federal cabinet’s approval, the Ministry issued a notification (No. F. 1(6)/13-PSQCA) formally assigning this responsibility to Ms. Ismat Gul Khattak for a three-month period.
The Islamabad High Court had directed the federal government to expedite the process for appointing a regular Director General for PSQCA, responding to a writ petition by Dr. Shehzad Afzal, an employee of PSQCA, alleging violations of the Management Position Scales Policy 2020 in the appointment process.
Barrister Munawar Iqbal Duggal, the additional attorney general, informed the court that the initial appointment process had begun, but the candidates who had applied did not meet the qualification criteria. The MP-1 scale position stipulated that candidates must possess a master’s degree in the relevant field, whereas all the candidates held bachelor’s degrees. Subsequently, the Ministry of Science and Technology decided to restart the entire selection process.
The court assigned the responsibility to the Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology to ensure that the advertisement and scrutiny of candidates were completed within six weeks. The case is set to be reviewed again on December 12, 2023.
Dr. Afzal argued in his petition that the Ministry of Science and Technology had repeatedly initiated and abandoned the hiring process, demonstrating a lack of commitment to appoint a regular Director General. PSQCA has been without a regular DG since September 2021, with Dr. H.U. Khan holding the acting charge.
Ms. Ismat Gul Khattak, currently the Director General of the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC), is a seasoned professional who has served with distinction in various governments, including Pakistan, the UAE, and the UK. She possesses significant expertise in quality infrastructures, particularly in the fields of technical regulations, standardization, industrial and legal metrology, accreditation, certifications (including halal certification), laboratory management, inspection, proficiency testing providers, and personnel certification schemes.
