Cabinet approves appointment of NIE DG

Sets aside concerns of ministry over validity of process

ISLAMABAD:

The cabinet has approved the appointment of director general of the National Institute of Electronics (NIE), which is under the administrative control of the Science and Technology Division, while setting aside apprehensions of the ministry concerned over validity of the appointment process.

NIE is a corporate body established under the NIE Ordinance 1979 and the administrative control of the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is responsible for undertaking design and development work in the area of electronics.

During discussion in a recent meeting, which approved the appointment of NIE DG, the minister for science and technology expressed apprehension about validity of the selection process as a considerable time had elapsed.

It was pointed out that a summary had been submitted to the cabinet with approval of the minister this month.

Another cabinet member emphasised that abandoning the process without a cogent reason could lead to litigation.

Meanwhile, eyebrows were raised over the decision of a cabinet committee not to convert the post to MP scale, which might have attracted younger and more competent talent. The cabinet approved the appointment of NIE DG as a BS-21 grade officer.

The vacant post of director general had been advertised on January 13, 2019 in the national press. In response, 28 applications were received. The applications were scrutinised by a shortlisting committee on the basis of advertised eligibility criteria.

It was decided that the issue of conversion of the post to MP scale may be placed before the cabinet committee along with other identical cases.

However, the committee did not recommend a selection board. The board was constituted with approval of the prime minister for the purpose.

Adviser to the prime minister on institutional reforms was the chairman of the board and the HEC chairman, IT ministry secretary, Establishment Division additional secretary and Planning Division former member (science) were also on the board.

The selection board “conducted interviews of shortlisted candidates and evaluated them on the basis of their qualification, research papers, senior management experience, knowledge about organisation, personality, communication skills, leadership qualities, etc.”

The board recommended three candidates, in order of merit, for appointment as the NIE DG.

The Science and Technology Division sought approval of the cabinet for the appointment of a candidate from the panel as the NIE DG for three years on a contract basis.

The cabinet considered the summary titled “Appointment of Director General (Equivalent to BS-21), National Institute of Electronics, Islamabad”, submitted by the ministry, and approved the appointment of Irfan Ahmed for a period of three years.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2020.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.