Horticulture company: Cabinet allows change in rules to appoint CEO on deputation

Current regulations provide for fresh appointment and not on deputation

ISLAMABAD: As the Commerce Division intends to take over control of the Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company (PHDEC), the cabinet has allowed amendments to rules in order to clear the way for the appointment of a favoured civil servant as the company chief on deputation by ignoring other candidates.

A nomination committee had shortlisted five candidates, out of 69 applicants, for interview by the company board that later recommended three names in merit order for the slot of PHDEC chief executive officer for three years.

However, the Commerce Division recommended the name of its Director General Muhammad Ashraf for appointment on deputation. However, rules do not allow his deputation as chief of the company.

PHDEC, which comes under the Commerce Division, had been created in the wake of enormous potential of Pakistan’s horticulture products in the global market.

The cabinet, in a recent meeting, turned down the plan of making a fresh appointment and allowed the Commerce Division to amend rules in order to place a ministry’s official as the head of PHDEC on deputation.

The cabinet was informed that appointment of the PHDEC CEO was important for revitalising the company. Accordingly, the company’s board of directors, in line with the Public Sector Companies (Appointment of Chief Executive) Guidelines 2015, constituted a nomination committee for the selection of the CEO.

The committee shortlisted five candidates for interview by the company’s board which later recommended three candidates.

Besides Commerce Division Director General Muhammad Ashraf, two other candidates were Assad Khalid, Financial Controller of the Asian Food Industry and Kashif Jamshed, national consultant of the Asian Development Bank.

During the course of discussions in the cabinet, it was pointed out that relevant rules provided for a fresh appointment did not allow appointment through transfer or on deputation.

If the Commerce Division intended to recommend a civil servant as its first choice, it should first amend relevant rules, the cabinet was told.

It considered a summary and agreed with the interpretation of relevant rules. However, on the request of the Commerce Division, the cabinet allowed it to prepare another summary for making appropriate amendments to the relevant rules.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2018.

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