LAHORE, July 24: The crisis over appointment of Wapda’s member for power is over after withdrawal of the nominee of the ministry of water and power.

According to ministry sources, the decision was a result of intervention from higher quarters restraining both sides to their operational boundaries and from taking their cases to the press.

The problem started when the ministry, wanting to make some high-level changes in the authority, tried to influence appointments in place of the retiring and on-deputation members of authority. The member for water had not been given extension, and the on-deputation member for finance and secretary to Wapda told to pack up. Both sides recommended different names for replacing the member for power, who was due to retire in the first week of August.

The ministry wanted to hire a retired employee of Wapda while the authority wanted to continue with the current member or take one from in-service cadres.

The authority fought its case on the basis of procedural problems that the appointment of a retired employee might create. It maintained that hiring someone on contract basis clashed with the policy of government. It would also dampen the spirit of 3,600 officers of the power wing, who are headed by nine general and 54 chief engineers, all aspiring for the post.

For this reason, the authority maintained, the post must go to a serving employee so that promotions are not affected. It also offered to provide alternative names if people on the already recommended list were not acceptable to the government.