Govt withdraws Qureshi’s additional charge as FDE chairman

BPS-20 audit services officer told to report to Establishment Divison

ISLAMABAD: The Establishment Division on Wednesday asked the head of all government-run lower education institutions in the federal capital to relinquish his acting charge of the post and report to the division.

The government, though, has yet to name even a temporary successor for the post given there is a ban on transfers and postings in effect from the Election Commission of Pakistan owing to the October 14 by-elections.



Hasnat Qureshi, who was working as the chairman of the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (Peira) in the federal capital, had been given the additional acting charge of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) director general on April 14, 2017.

While his additional charge has now been withdrawn, he continues as the Peira chairman.

Officials said that the Peira chairman is appointed by the prime minister who must approve his repatriation as per rules.

Qureshi, a basic pay scale (BPS) grade 20 officer, had arrived at Peira in February 2017 from the Pakistan Audit and Accounts Service to replace the then Peira chief Mussadiq Malik Khan.

The charge has been withdrawn from Qureshi after his parent department demanded the services of its employee.

Officials explained that Qureshi’s repatriation to his parent department would not be termed a transfer or a posting since he has surrendered his acting charge.

The post of FDE director general first fell vacant in December 2016, after the retirement of its long-time chief Dr Shahnaz Riaz. Ever since, the department has been run on an ad-hoc basis.

According to the FDE recruitment rules, its director general is recruited from the pool of senior-most principals (BPS-19) of a degree college or the senior-most director of the department in BPS-19.



Reportedly, the recently-dissolved Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) had apparently interviewed candidates for the post of FDE director general.

But with the administrative control of the FDE handed over to the education ministry after CADD’s dissolution, any step on hiring a permanent head of the directorate will be taken by the federal education ministry.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2018.