ISLAMABAD, Sept 29: The Ministry of Regulations and Services has once again floated an advertisement with the hope to find a ‘good professional’ for the key post of the drug regulator of the country.
“This is for the second time that an advertisement has been placed in the national dailies on September 13 after the unceremonious removal of Dr Qazi Saboor from the post of acting chief executive officer (CEO) of the Drug Regulatory Agency of Pakistan (DRAP),” said an official close to the development.
It is pertinent to mention that on August 10, the Establishment Division removed Dr Saboor on the request of Minister for Regulations and Services Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan. However, within hours, the division withdrew its notification without assigning any reason. In the same month, Dr Awan’s strong connections with the Presidency and Prime Minister’s House helped her in securing his removal order again. The charge of DRAP has now been given to Farooq Fahim, a joint secretary.
Dr Saboor’s removal also paved the way for the regulations division’s secretary to publish a new advertisement for hiring a professional individual on the post.Dr Saboor took charge of the powerful regulatory authority of the country’s drug industry in May this year but soon after developed serious differences with the minister.
“It’s turning to be a musical chair, since the government has removed the first selected CEO and now is looking for a ‘more professional man,” said the official.
“Around eight senior pharmacists and public health experts were interviewed by the minister and the then secretary Faridullah Khan in July but not a single name was forwarded to the prime minister for approval,” said one officer in the Establishment Division.
He said once the selection process was complete, the minister has to approve the summary of at least three nominees after which the prime minister would finalise the best individual.
However, the senior official of the regulations ministry admitted that the industry was suffering because of the absence of a permanent CEO of DRAP.
“This time, the secretary of the regulations division, Imtiaz Inayat Elahi, has specifically been asked by the prime minister’s office to select the best individual on merit and forward the summary after completing all the prerequisites,” claimed the official.
A source added that due to political wrangling and power play between the office of the secretary, the DRAP chief and the minister “prices, registration and the whole drug regulation regime is suffering.”
When contacted, the minister, Dr Awan, said: “We have given the advertisement for a second time mainly to select the best individual for regulating the country’s 700 drug companies and other multinationals.”
The decision to advertise the post was taken mainly on the recommendation of a Senate committee. “Besides, we failed to find a better individual for the post in our first interview.”
The minister said the first advertisement was floated for the position of CEO by the Cabinet Division and not by her ministry.