Filling posts: 18 apply for top spots at Punjab Privatisation Board

Board has been run on additional charge since February 2010.

LAHORE:

Eighteen people have applied for the position of chairman of the Punjab Privatisation Board (PPB). A committee headed by the chief secretary will interview the remaining candidates and send a summary to the chief minister.

The position had been vacant since February 2010 when Nazar Muhammad Chohan’s appointment was terminated following a Supreme Court ruling on re-employment of retired officers. The government had advertised the post in the last week of January for a three year contract. The post carries Management Professional 1 (MP-1) salary package. February 10 was the last date for applying.

Retired government officers (BS-20 and above) with 20 years of experience are eligible. So are people with a post graduate degree in public administration, commerce or law and 20 years of relevant experience. The maximum age for retired government servants is 63. For other candidates it is 58.

Out of the 18 applicants, initial screening at the Board of Revenue has diminished seven citing lack of experience or on account of a higher age.

The candidates include Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Secretary Arshad bin Ahmed, Minimum Wages Board secretary Amjad Zahoor Warraich and Dr Khair Muhammad Khan, the head of planning and development at the Directorate of Public Instruction.

The retired officers available for the job are Muhammad Tariq Ayub, Syed Iqbal Anwar Kidwai, Raja Safdar Hussain, MA Behzad, Farzana Gul, Syed Sajid Ali Shah and Saadat Farooq Ahmed.

The private sector candidates include Chaudhary Imtiaz Hussain and Muhammad Hanif.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2012.