ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Monday referred a case of alleged malpractice by a private career testing service to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

According to the authority, the testing service violated terms and conditions of the agreement for hiring of staff for the CDA hospital.

The CDA, through a letter, requested the director of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Islamabad Zone to investigate the allegation of malpractice by a private career testing service with regard to recruitment process against vacant posts in the CDA hospital.

Sources said before sending the matter to FIA, a probe was conducted by the civic authority’s security directorate, which suggested that the testing service seemingly deliberately violated the terms and conditions of agreement and the matter required forensic audit by FIA to reach a factual position.

CDA’s Public Relations Officer Syed Asif Shah, when contacted, confirmed to Dawn that the said case had been referred to FIA.

CDA officials, quoting the letter referred to FIA, said shortlisting of candidates for interviews and fixing of any threshold as passing marks by the testing service was beyond the mandate, given in the contract agreement “which may also be for some ulterior motives”.

Whereas, officials quoting the letter said it had also been observed that in “irrelevant” list, the testing service also violated regional quota.

It is relevant to note here that the CDA some months ago had sought applications for filling over 200 vacant posts in the CDA hospital.

Sources said besides recruitment of helping staff and technicians, the CDA also sought applications for filling around 50 vacant positions of medical officers. In the process of hiring medical officers, the testing service did not properly observe regional quota system that deprived several eligible candidates from Islamabad of their right of getting jobs. The testing service was also supposed to share results of screening test with CDA before shortlisting candidates, but it avoided sharing screening tests.

The sources said that the civic agency for the time being had stopped the entire process of recruitment and now was also mulling to start the recruitment process afresh. “Though, so far, we have not taken any decision, but since this matter has become controversial, there are certain chances we will go for a fresh recruitment process,” said an officer of CDA.

It is relevant to note here that after Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and Poly Clinic, CDA hospital is the main facility, which besides catering to the needs of the civic agency’s employees, also provides health facilities to private patients.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2021