ISLAMABAD: Misleading advertisement posted on Bahria Foundation website left many hopefuls bewildered as it failed to post all pre-requisites for the job in the advertisement.

As many as 800 hopefuls, from all over the country, reached Bahria Foundation in E-8, only to be notified that the vacancy was for ex-servicemen, and that civilians could not apply.

One such applicant, Shahid Sultan, who is a resident of Gojra, reached Bahria Foundation early in the morning, to secure the job based in Bahrain.

“I have served in Bahrain. Last week, I received a call from my friend who is still working there, informing me that Bahria Foundation has demanded applications for recruitment in Bahrain,” he said.

“Officials of Bahria Foundation told me that they want only ex-servicemen and those who can play in a musical band. So I had no choice but to go back to Gojra,” he added.

Mr Sultan is not the only person who suffered because of the ambiguities in the advertisement posted on the website of Bahria Foundation.

According to the website, the foundation was established in January 1982 by the Government of Pakistan as a Charitable Trust under the Endowment Act 1890.

The Committee of Administration (COA) headed by the chief of naval staff, consists of eight members including the managing director of Bahria Foundation.

An advertisement was posted on the main page of the website, with a note: ‘Urgent Jobs’. Moreover, the website says “Bahria

Recruiting Agency is rated as one of the leading recruiting agencies of Pakistan, with access to a huge pool of highly trained skilled ex-servicemen and dockyard/shipyard workers.

Bahria Recruiting Agency has been one of the major recruiters of ex-defence forces personnel and skilled civilians for similar organisations in the Middle East countries.”

Another hopeful, Abdul Qudoos, who had come from Sialkot, said the advertisement mentioned that applications were required for workforce in Bahrain.

“Most of the youngsters lose their money to private recruiting agencies, so I was reluctant to pay them any amount. When I saw the advertisement on the website of Bahria Foundation, I decided to apply because an ancillary department of the armed forces cannot deceive any person,” he said.

“If jobs were not for the civilians, they should have mentioned it in the advertisement posted on the website. After the incident, I searched the advertisement on the website but it was removed from there. It shows that the management of Bahria Foundation realised that they had made a mistake,” he said.

The phone number of Ghulam Murtaza was given on the advertisement. When Dawn tried to contact Mr Murtaza, his phone remained switched off, continuously.

Director General Public Relations (Navy) Commodore Irfanul Haque, while talking to Dawn, said although Bahria Foundation was an ancillary department of the Navy, it still had a separate administrative setup.

Cdre Haque said he would inquire from the foundation or would inform about the relevant officer of the foundation, but he did not call back till the filing of this report.