Senate panel seeks answers on PARC hiring

Officials told to complete inquiry without further delay

ISLAMABAD:

A Senate committee on Tuesday expressed serious concern over alleged irregularities in recruitments at the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), and directed authorities to complete the inquiry and submit a detailed report.

The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research, chaired by Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan, was briefed on the recruitment controversy, the ongoing inquiry and matters relating to oilseeds, including olive cultivation.

PARC Chairman Murtaza Andrabi, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and other officials attended the meeting.

The committee chairman expressed displeasure over the failure to provide the inquiry report on alleged recruitment irregularities, noting that the committee had yet to receive the document.

The additional secretary said an inquiry against responsible officers was under way and an inquiry committee had also been constituted, headed by Nauman Rashid.

Senator Poonjo Bheel said the committee had highlighted the irregularities during an earlier meeting, but action was taken only after the issue was reported in the media. He demanded that candidates who had applied and paid recruitment fees be considered in future hiring.

Bheel said the candidates had approached the courts and warned that if they were reinstated, those currently excluded from the process could become overage. He said the situation could have been different had recruitments been conducted while properly observing provincial quotas.

The committee chairman sought the names and domicile details of all candidates, saying the committee had still not received the required information. He also expressed strong displeasure over the conduct of PARC officials, alleging that officer Fakhar Wahla had lied before the committee and shown disrespect to the forum.