Senator lifts lid on steroid use at Islamabad Club

Senate panel, federal minister seek detailed report on matter

ISLAMABAD: Trainers at the upscale, government-owned Islamabad Club allegedly gave steroids to members of its gymnasium.

This was disclosed during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat which met at the Parliament Lodges on Wednesday with Jamiatul-Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Talha Mehmood in the chair.

During the meeting, the committee was given a briefing by the Islamabad Club secretary regarding the administration and management of the club’s gymnasium, the services provided to members therein and the rules and regulations.

Senator Mehmood stated that there were reports on how young users of the gym were being provided steroids by the trainers in their personal capacity. This, the senator said, could prove to be harmful to youngsters.

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“An 18-year-old has no idea what steroids are, and they are ruining their lives,” he said.

The senator went on to claim that one bodybuilder at the club, Farooq, was allegedly provided steroids by the trainer at the gym and that he had evidence to back up his claims. He added that the club has a reputation but it is being sullied owing to such acts.

At this, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Swati directed the relevant officials to present a detailed report on the issue raised.

“I will not tolerate any such thing related to children,” Swati said, adding that the issue could be taken up with the prime minister.

Senator Mahmood noted that several people have submitted the fees of the club but they are not being provided with memberships. At this, the club administrator said that the matter has been held up owing to the absence of a management committee of the club.

Senator Rubina Khalid complained about the deteriorating quality of services and food available at the club. The convener of the committee decided to seek a detailed briefing by the administration of the club apart from stating that they could conduct a surprise visit of the club at any moment to review issues first-hand.

PIMS Cardiac Centre

During the meeting, the issue of extending contracts of the medical staff at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Cardiac Centre was discussed.

The health ministry secretary told the committee that because the Federal Public Service Commission’s (FPSC) recruitment process has yet to be concluded, a summary had been dispatched on August 19 for extending the contracts of doctors in basic pay scale (BPS) grade 16 to 19, for the release of their salaries.

But a fortnight on, the official said they are still waiting for the summary to be approved.

The committee was further told that three extensions of six months each have previously been given to the employees and this will be the fourth extension.

The committee called for a permanent solution to the issue, adding that it did not lie with extensions but with regularisation.

The FPSC was directed to complete its recruitment process within three months.

NCA projects

The National College of Arts principal gave the committee a briefing regarding the college, its administration, ongoing projects, culture and history.

The committee, which appreciated the work of NCA students across the country and particularly in the Parliament House, recommended increasing government funding for the premier arts college from its current level of Rs215 million annually.

Committee members further proposed utilising NCA’s expertise to help art departments at leading provincial higher education institutions.

The committee also decided to support a proposal from the NCA chief to use the Arts and Crafts Village and Pak China Centre as a campus of the college in the federal capital.

FPSC rules

The committee discussed a report by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) about amendments made to Rule 11(i) of the qualifying criteria for Central Superior Services (CSS) Examinations 2013 and 2014 by the FPSC without seeking approval of the competent authority. The committee was further told that the due process was not followed out while making amendments in 2008 and 2012.

The committee was told that when these amendments were approved, their drafts were not clear on what they proposed.

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FIA officials clarified that the amendments were about chaining the passing criteria for the CSS exam by adding an ‘or’ in the rule in 2008 and then removing the qualifier in 2012.

Committee members suggested that there were some mala fide intentions in bringing these amendments with the intention of accommodating particular candidates or to disqualify particular candidates.

The FPSC secretary said that in 2013, only 11 candidates were affected due to the rule change, while this number fell to just four in 2014.

FIA officials, however, argued before the committee that the amendments cannot be termed as mala fide because no information on beneficiaries or affectees was found, while the rules were not changed during the examination process.

The committee directed the FPSC to submit details of all beneficiary candidates from 2008 to 2012 and asked the FPSC to locate those involved in these amendment proposals between 2008 and 2012.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2019.