LAHORE: The Transparency International (TI) has raised objections to the appointment of heads of various organisations made “in violation of a Supreme Court order”.

In a letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the TI has requested him to “take immediate steps to remove all such illegal appointees as their appointments are contempt of Supreme Court judgment (of June 12, 2013)”.

It says that all of them have been appointed without being processed by the Federal Commission for Selection of the Heads of Public Sector Organisations (FCHPSO).

Court order on big jobs a blow to PML-N

The TI says it had objected earlier in May to an advertisement appearing in newspapers for various positions in government departments saying it is discriminatory and non-transparent and against the policy of zero tolerance for corruption, also announced by the PML-N in its election manifesto in 2013.

“Unfortunately, the ministry of finance and other ministries never bothered to follow the rules of law, and have made many appointments bypassing the FCHPSO constituted on July 17, 2013, in compliance with the SC judgment.”

The commission is headed by Abdul Rauf Chaudhry and Shams Kasim Lakha and Dr Ijaz Nabi are its members.

The TI also brought to the notice of the prime minister wastage of money on coloured advertisements in newspapers about such positions. “Millions of rupees were wasted in coloured half pages advertisements on positions like governor SBP, president NBP, chairman SECP, chairman PNSC, chairman KPT, CEO TDAP, chairman SSGCL, chairman SNGPL, chairman Pakistan Steel Mills, MD PTV and many more.”

According to TI, “the establishment division issued on Jan 13 notifications with the approval of the prime minister in which it exempted appointments on key posts in various organisations including the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority, Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, Pakistan Telecommunications Authority, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), State Life Insurance Corporation, Competition Commission of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, Evacuee Trust Property Board, Engineering Development Board, Pakistan Industrial Technical Assistance Centre, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority, State Cement Corporation, National Database and Registration Authority, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, Lok Virsa, National Telecom-munications Commission, Telecom Foundation, Pakistan Baitul Maal and Alternative Energy Development Board. In this regard on June 20, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court had also restrained the federal government from making appointments on high-profile positions that violated the SC verdict”.

The TI requested the prime minister to remove all such illegal appointees and direct the FCHPSO to process appointments in all government-controlled corporations, regulatory authorities, autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies within shortest period of time.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2014