A large number of people in the past one year were recruited in the Pakistan Housing Foundation (PHF) without proper tests and interviews on posts that were not advertised.
Sources said that the high-ups of the PHF are continuously accommodating their people against various positions in the foundation by violating the criteria set by the government.
Moreover, dozens of influential people have been accommodated in the foundation on deputation from other organisations. PHF officials said these people prefer entering the PHF to avail plots after serving one and a half year in the foundation.
The PHF officials, asking not to be named, said the foundation has not given any job advertisement since February 2009, but more than 40 people, from driver to assistant director, were appointed.
They added that senior officials continue to accommodate their relatives despite the government having banned hiring.
“We know that government has imposed ban on fresh appointments, but this does not seem applicable as far as the relatives of senior officials are concerned; they accommodate their own people without advertising the positions”, an official said. As an example, he quoted the example of Faisal Najeeb Raja, who was appointed by Secretary Housing and Works on June 1 and is believed to be a close relative of the secretary.
Other officials added that some people, serving in BPS-14 in their previous departments, were appointed on deputation as Assistant Directors on BPS-17. People in the foundation have been waiting for promotion from BPS-16 for years but were overlooked, they added.
When contacted, PHF Director General Talat Mian said that some people have been recruited against certain positions, which were advertised. He explained that the foundation had appointed some people for its future projects that are yet to be initiated due to some technical reasons.
About the deputed officers, he said, “People prefer going where there is some attraction and [the situation] here is no different.” He admitted that a person working in the Custom Intelligence in BPS-14 had been appointed as an assistant director in BPS-17, but insisted that he was drawing the same salary as before. Mian added that the person had joined on the recommendation of former minister Rehmatullah Kakar.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2011.
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