LAHORE: Hundreds of candidates of competitive examination on Monday held a demonstration outside the office of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) against alleged favoritism in the appointment process, while PPSC Chairman Maqsood Ahmad denied the allegations and said he was ready to face accountability.

The protesters demanded Mr Ahmad resign from his post and vowed to extend their protests. The PPSC candidates were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the chairman. They alleged that the PPSC administration was involved in leaking examination papers and seats were being sold by their employees in exchange for bribes.

They demanded the government interrogate the PPSC employees and take steps to revive merit.

Later, Mr Ahmad addressed a press conference at his office in the LDA Plaza on Kashmir Road, saying that around 375,000 candidates sat the exam for 2,500 posts of lecturer. He explained that results were prepared using technology and their officers also verified the results manually to ensure transparency.

Commission head says ready to present himself for accountability

He denied any pressure on him or the commission members, asserting that the PPSC was an independent and constitutional institution. “Many of the candidates protesting applied 30 to 54 times, but failed,” he said, rejecting the allegations of paper leak as baseless.

“I am ready to face any inquiry and investigation as I do not have any involvement in preparing the results,” the chairman maintained.

He further alleged that some academies were behind the protests and were using the candidates for their ulterior motives.

He added that the ratio of candidates who passed the written exams and interviews was quite low this time. The PPSC was following a transparent system and had even won 97 per cent of the cases lodged against them in courts, Mr Ahmad claimed.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2020