MUZAFFARABAD, July 10: Azad Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (PSC) on Tuesday expressed its inability to conduct interviews, due to lack of funds, of candidates who had cleared the written tests held by it for some gazetted posts, it has been learnt.

Announcing the roll numbers of 88 candidates who had qualified the tests held in April for five posts of assistant commissioner, six of section officer and three of project manager, the PSC said in a handout that it was “not in a position to conduct tests/interviews for these posts for want of desired funds despite release of the new years budget.” In all 342 candidates had appeared in the tests.

A number of candidates, talking to Dawn, alleged that the institution was shirking its responsibilities.

The AJKPSC is without a permanent chairman after the retirement of Bostan Chaudhry last year. The additional charge of the office was assigned to AJK Chief Election Commissioner Sher Zaman Choudhri on Oct 26, 2001. Two PSC members - Masoodul Hassan and Sardar Mohammad Rafiq Khan - were also appointed, whereas the institution under the law should have four members.

Sources say the chairman and the members are settled in Islamabad, they rarely visit the institution’s headquarters here and stress that the interviews be conducted in the federal capital.

Last interviews for the posts of subject specialists and secondary school teachers were held at Kashmir House, Islamabad, in December, which, according to sources, cost around Rs200,000 in shape of TA/DA and other expenses of the interviewers and the PSC staff.

“Of the amount, Rs150,000, was provided by the finance department after much reluctance. The remaining amount was arranged from other means,” a source at the PSC said.

The source admitted that candidates from remote areas had to face problems. “I think there is no involvement of budget in conducting the interviews if they are held at the PSC’s headquarters,” said a candidate.