Panel orders probe into irregular hiring in OGDC

22 officers were appointed in 2005 in violation of rules.

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel has expressed concern over irregular appointment of 22 officers in the country’s largest oil and gas explorer – the Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC) – in 2005 and has ordered an investigation to find out the officials involved in the scam.

Petroleum Secretary Ejaz Chaudhry admitted before a sub-committee of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources that recruitments in OGDC had been made without following the set criteria including qualification and experience. These appointments were made after publishing advertisements in newspapers.

The meeting was held here on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Muhammad Barjees Tahir and attended by Ejaz Chaudhry and officials of OGDC.

The panel expressed annoyance over hiring in violation of rules and directed the company officials to submit detailed reports on qualification and experience of all applicants who had applied for the posts.

Barjees Tahir said though people working in OGDC were well-educated, there had been gross violation of rules in the recruitment process. “Such examples of corruption have never been seen in any other department,” he remarked.

He asked the officials to prepare a detailed report on 22 officers appointed on the orders of then managing director Raziuddin, who flouted the rules.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2012.