Admin and accounts director only has matric degree.
PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD: The new management of the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, commonly known as Lok Virsa, the country’s premier cultural organisation, has started cleansing the organisation of individuals with questionable credentials and under par performance to- put the house in order.
The management has removed a senior officer, Yousuf Haroon, from his position and made him an officer on special duty (OSD), a bureaucratic jargon used for punishment.
It has been revealed that the cause for this removal was not fulfilling the minimum requirement of a bachelor’s degree for his post, a source told The Express Tribune with the request for anonymity.
Moreover, Lok Virsa’s notification states that the director, Administration and Accounts, a grade 19 officer, was removed from his post following an internal inquiry.
The inquiry report says Haroon has been working with the premier cultural body for over 30 years. He is just a matriculate and done a short diploma course while minimum qualification for a grade 19 officer is bachelors degree.
The inquiry was based on a recent Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) probe’s report into preferment of four officials of the organisation. Each of the aforementioned has availed several promotions in the past 15 years.
Notwithstanding, Haroon was the only one who was in the grade-19 bracket without a bachelor’s degree.
Shafiqur Rehman, an officer, who holds a Bachelor’s and a law degree, as well as over 30 years of experience, has been entrusted with the vacant position.
Haroon’s case has been referred to the Human Resource Committee to further investigate the matter and take necessary action.
He was hired in 1983 in BPS-17 and was given moved over in BPS-18 in 1996.
Subsequently, as the senior-most officer, he was promoted to BPS-19 and made Director of Media Centre in 2011.
Several complaints had been received about various questionable appointments, promotions as well as by submitting fake domiciles and certificates, the sources added.
Like other government departments, previous management did not follow rules and the criteria in hiring people during the last 25 years.
Even in cases of promotions the merit, criteria and quotas have been violated, the sources said.
The new administration had started clearing the mess created by previous managements and is facing challenges and resistance, the sources said.
The new management has started streamlining hiring and enforcing the quota system.
The current management has so far only inducted people for assignments, the sources said.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 13th, 2016
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ