Minister resigns over ‘corruption’ in NTS, CIIT
Domki says he felt like he was being stonewalled by a mafia
PHOTO: National Assembly
ISLAMABAD:
Minister for Science and Technology Mir Dostain Khan Domki has tendered his resignation due to what he called the corruption and money laundering inside the National Testing Service and mismanagement in the Comsats Institute of Information Technology (CIIT).
The tussle between Domki and NTS, CIIT officials has been brewing over the last few weeks but on November 24 he announced his resignation saying he felt like he was being “stonewalled by a mafia.”
The government appointed Rana Tanveer as Minister for Science and Technology even before Domki resigned.
“Upon receiving a number of complaints from public representatives as well as the general public about corruption and mismanagement in the ministry, an inquiry was ordered into NTS, CIIT and Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA),” he wrote in the resignation.
Science and Technology minister’s resignation ‘is the tip of the iceberg’
Domki elaborated that apart from the corruption in NTS and CIIT, another reason for his resignation was the irregular appointment of the PSQCA director general.
“The national press was also publishing many issues and given the circumstances, I made up my mind to eradicate this menace from my ministry despite the pressure on me,” he said, adding that it was shocking for him to see that the portfolio was given to a full-fledged minister just to stop the struggle against corruption.
“These conditions have made it impossible for me to continue my work, hence, I tender my resignation from the portfolio of the minister of state for the Ministry of Science and Technology,” he concluded.
Earlier while talking to The Express Tribune Domki went as far as to say “a mafia within the three organisations was obstructing my actions against corruption.”
CIIT and NTS are already going through testing times, as three federal bodies– National Accountability Bureau, Federal Investigation Agency and the Federal Board of Revenue – have started inquiries into their operations.
Minister for Science and Technology Mir Dostain Khan Domki has tendered his resignation due to what he called the corruption and money laundering inside the National Testing Service and mismanagement in the Comsats Institute of Information Technology (CIIT).
The tussle between Domki and NTS, CIIT officials has been brewing over the last few weeks but on November 24 he announced his resignation saying he felt like he was being “stonewalled by a mafia.”
The government appointed Rana Tanveer as Minister for Science and Technology even before Domki resigned.
“Upon receiving a number of complaints from public representatives as well as the general public about corruption and mismanagement in the ministry, an inquiry was ordered into NTS, CIIT and Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA),” he wrote in the resignation.
Science and Technology minister’s resignation ‘is the tip of the iceberg’
Domki elaborated that apart from the corruption in NTS and CIIT, another reason for his resignation was the irregular appointment of the PSQCA director general.
“The national press was also publishing many issues and given the circumstances, I made up my mind to eradicate this menace from my ministry despite the pressure on me,” he said, adding that it was shocking for him to see that the portfolio was given to a full-fledged minister just to stop the struggle against corruption.
“These conditions have made it impossible for me to continue my work, hence, I tender my resignation from the portfolio of the minister of state for the Ministry of Science and Technology,” he concluded.
Earlier while talking to The Express Tribune Domki went as far as to say “a mafia within the three organisations was obstructing my actions against corruption.”
CIIT and NTS are already going through testing times, as three federal bodies– National Accountability Bureau, Federal Investigation Agency and the Federal Board of Revenue – have started inquiries into their operations.