KARACHI – The Ministry of Ports and Shipping has sent a summary to PM Secretariat for the appointment of Vice Admiral (r) Aslam Menai as the Chairman National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), and Vice Admiral (r) Azhar Shameem as the Director General Ports and Shipping.
It has been learnt that both are retired individuals and that the ministry’s effort to appoint them on critical positions is apparently against the directives issued by the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) for the removal of officers employed on contract.
Recently, the Establishment Division terminated the services of a retired bureaucrat Hassan Zaidi from the post of DG Ports and Shipping on direction of the SC, yet the ministry is trying to induct another officer on contract basis at the mentioned post.
Similarly the PNSC has performed under the chairmanship of Brigadier (r) Rashid Siddiqi, who has day-to-day charge of the said post, but by appointing another retired officer of Navy at the said post might not be a good decision, sources said.
Sources indicated that Aslam Menai was the former Chairman of Port Qasim Authority (PQA) and his tenure was not noted for exceptional performance, so his appointment would not make a great difference to the state of national shipping and would be against the directives of SC, sources said, adding that he was the Director General Operations at the Port Qasim and them promoted to the Chairmanship in 2005 till 2005.
On the other hand, Azhar Shameem, the former Navy commander in Karachi, and his appointment on the post of DG also seems to be in conflict with the SC’s decision as this would be the appointment of another retired person after the removal of a retired bureaucrat, sources reasoned.
It seems that these two important positions of this important ministry will be taken up by the retired officers of Pakistan Navy both against the merits of the positions and Supreme Court’s directions over blockage of promotions, sources opined. The seriousness of the government to enforce the Supreme Court’s decision could be gauged by its decision regarding the service of PQA Chairman Admiral (r) Muhammad Shafi, who is also a retired person, who was not removed, sources questioned.
