Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T) has emerged as the most corrupt department of former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led coalition government, Pakistan Today investigations have revealed.
Every minister and secretary that was appointed during the five year PPP rule had greatly misused government funds and had also appointed large numbers of people against bribes amounting into billion of rupees. In addition, the two federal ministers and MoS&T secretary have also appointed their relatives on more than 50 vacant posts within the ministry during their rule.
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), after picking up the scent of corruption in the ministry, launched investigations into the matter, but the then interior ministry intervened and inquiry against corruption and illegal appointments was stopped by former federal minister Rehman Malik.
According to details, the two ministers have hired their relatives on contingency basis and later with approval of the Cabinet Division, the same were regularised. Besides, a large number of people were also hired on the basis of bribes adding up to billion of rupees.
During the course of the investigations, it was also disclosed that former MoS&T federal minister Azam Khan Swati, who later left Jamiat Ulema Islam- Fazalur Rehman (JUI-F) and instead joined Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), had also hired 26 relatives in his tenure on contingecy basis in all parts of the country. He also granted multiple terms to his relatives who were hired on contingency basis.
The documents available with Pakistan Today disclosed that 38 people have been hired in MoS&T in the ending period of the current political government. The appointments were made in Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) where former Minister for Science and Technology Mir Changez Jamali, cousin of Pir Bux Jamali, was serving as PSQCA Director General (DG).
As per documents, some employments were made in PSQCA on directives of the former federal minister MoS&T Mir Changez Jamali for 89 days in the beginning of 2012. The appointed persons were granted 89 days term repeatedly until Cabinet Division headed by former federal minister Syed Khursheed Shah at end of the same year.
Later, the MoS&T submitted a list of these 38 employees to Cabinet Division and tempered their date of joining in order to get them regularised. To add to this, the Cabinet Division, without any investigations, regularised the contingency employees referred to them by the MoS&T.
The summary of the appointed candidates are as follows: Eight relatives of former minister MoS&T Mir Changez Khan Jamali, six were relatives of Advisor Sikandar Bangwar which included his two nephews, one niece and his son-in-law, 22 people were hired in PSQCA referred by MoS&T Secretary, three PSQCA DGs who were Pir Bux Jamali’s relatives, including his son-in-law and step brother, brother and brother-in-law of MoS&T Deputy Secretary Asia Gul and six others were inducted into the said ministry.
The extent to which cronyism had infiltrated into the MoS&T could be gauged from the fact that PSQCA had hired some 16 people on contractual basis but they were not referred to the Cabinet Division for regularization, and only names of relatives appointed on contingency were placed before the committee. Later, these contractual employees went to Islamabad High Court (IHC) on which the court had announced a decision in their favour and directed the authorities concerned to absorb them into the ministry.
Taking action against illegal appointments of blue-eyed persons and massive corruption that was highlighted in PSQCA 2010-12 audit report, FIA Corporate Crime Cell had launched investigations into the matter. FIA Inspector Lubna Tawana had been appointed as Investigation Officer (IO). When the IO started investigation, she was harassed by the authority’s officials and later the file was completely shelved after intervention of former federal interior minister Rehman Malik.
“The appointments of my relatives were made on contingency basis before I assumed charge,” PSQCA DG Pir Bux Jamali said. “The Cabinet Division has sent many cut-of-dates to the ministry but the committee could not hold a meeting to regularise the employees working on contingency basis,” PSQCA DG added.
“Every minister and secretary have hired their relatives on contingency basis and later got them regularised through the Cabinet Division,” Jamali added. “I don’t know how many relatives of MoS&T secretary were hired in these recruitments,” he said.
Brother of MoS&T Deputy Secretary Asia Gul had an excellent academic record and he deserved the position. When the DG PSQCA was asked about tempered date-of-joining of regularised candidates, he was left speechless.
“Fomer federal minister from JUI-F Azam Khan Swati had hired 26 relatives in his tenure so what is wrong if the PPP minister Mir Changez Jamali hired his relatives,” PSQCA Secretary Ghulam Umer Kazi said. “Everyone in his tenure gets benefits, and if the former minister had hired some of his relatives then nothing is wrong with that,” he reiterated.
Inspector Lubna Tawana, who was investigating the case, could not be reached for comments as she was sent to Islamabad for training after the closure of the case, owing to the pressure of former interior minister Rehman Malik.