KARACHI, May 16: The Director-general, Ports and Shipping, following a controversy over a recent appointment of a chief engineer and ship surveyor in the federal communications ministry, has constituted a committee to look in to the issue, it is learnt reliably.

According to the sources, the federal government, which was approached by the Pakistan Merchant Navy Officers' Association on the issue, has directed the DG to submit his comments on the issue.

The association claims that the appointment of Commander (retd) Ghulam Haider Soomro is violative of the Estacode (Civil Establishment Code) 1998's conditions, mentioned on the pages 1122, 1123 and 1124.

The association alleges that the said appointment is also in contravention of the Standards of Training Certification and Watch-keeping Code of the International Maritime Organization.

It claims that the IMO can impose strict sanctions if its conditions are not met, as it had done earlier in cases of other countries, which did not abide by its conditions.

It also alleges that the appointment is also not in accordance with the Circular No 051 (dated June 6, 2002) of the Ports and Shipping Wing and Gazette Notification of the Ports and Shipping Wing (dated Sept 5, 1979).

Responding to Dawn queries, the association's general secretary, Sheikh Mohammad Iqbal, said that the association had approached the federal government regarding the discrepancy and it had agreed to look in to the issue.

He claimed that the recently-recruited Com Soomro neither had the required qualifications nor the experience as prescribed even in the advertisements published in the newspapers for the post, and mentioned in the recruitment rules.

He claimed that if the discrepancy was not corrected, the IMO could impose global restrictions on appointment of Pakistani Merchant Navy officers, and since bulk of the local officers were recruited by the foreign country vessels, it could be a severe blow to them, further restricting such overseas employment opportunities, that were already shrinking for local officers, following the 9/11 tragedy.

Responding to Dawn queries, Ports and Administration Director Bashir Vistro said that the post was advertised twice in print media and the interviews were conducted by a high-level committee, headed by the federal communications minister.