ISLAMABAD: A state-owned entity under the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication (MoITT) is facing internal discord for retaining a retired official as an ex-officio board member in violation of governance rules.
Pak Datacom Ltd (PDL), a subsidiary of the Telecom Foundation, has kept Syed Junaid Imam on its board as an ex-officio member, even nine months after his retirement from the ministry.
Despite several letters from relevant MoITT officials requesting his removal, PDL Board Chairman Syed Zuma Mohiuddin has refused to act.
While Mr Imam’s services have been terminated from other boards, PDL continues to list him as an active board member. Mr Mohiuddin did not respond to multiple queries from Dawn regarding the matter.
Mr Imam was appointed Member IT and Telecom at the MoITT in 2019 on an MP-1 scale for two years.
He received a two-year extension in 2021, followed by a one-year extension in August 2023. He officially retired from the ministry in August 2024.
Current PDL board members include retired Brig Syed Zulfiqar Ali (CEO), Perwaiz Khan (Telecom Foundation nominee), independent directors Syed Shamin Ahmed Sheerazi and Mst Rubina Safir, Muhammad Waheed (major shareholder), and Izkar Khan (nominee of State Life and the National Bank).
Pak Datacom Ltd provides satellite-based end-to-end data communication solutions.
It was incorporated as a private limited company in July 1992 and converted into a public limited company in June 1994.
Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025
