- PU promotes 16th grade officer on deputation to grade 20, makes him its permanent employee
If you are a 16th grade officer known for misconduct, you might want to drop your CV at the Punjab University (PU), where chances are that you will be made a permanent employee after a direct promotion to Grade 20.
Pakistan Today has learnt about one such irregularity in the appointment of one Malik Mohammad Zaheer, currently working as the varsity’s Resident Officer – II.
Zaheer, a former Department of Agriculture assistant agriculture engineer (Field Wing) BS-16, had been working on deputation as Resident Officer – II BS-19 in the university after he was suspended twice from his parent department on account of misconduct.
Zaheer had to be kept on the post four grades higher than his original grade for reasons best known to the varsity’s vice chancellor or Zaheer himself. But there was a slight issue: an officer cannot work for more than three years on deputation!
Zaheer had to be pulled in permanently and immediately and the selection process involved advertising and appointment through a selection board and what not; the process was just too long. Therefore, the vice chancellor decided to use his magic wand…
The PU VC was ‘pleased to order’ (Office Order No 9600-9611/Est II) on October 14, 2000 that Zaheer be absorbed permanently in the Punjab University as Resident Officer-II in BS-19!
While the vice chancellor exercised his powers under Section 15(3) of the PU Act 1973 and ‘in anticipation of the Syndicate’s approval’, he seems to have forgotten that he was supposed to present all such orders before the Syndicate within 45 days of the order.
Not only did the vice chancellor did not share his decisions with the Syndicate within the due time period, he was affronted later by chief justice (r) Sardar Mohammad Iqbal in the 1,641st meeting of the Syndicate on May 5, 2001 on account of the ‘illegal’ appointment.
Iqbal pointed out that the Syndicate could not appoint a person directly and had to approve the appointment made through the selection process. He also said that if the university appointed him directly anybody could approach the court to invoke “Quo warranto writ”.
When the vice chancellor apprised the meeting of the ‘valuable’ service Zaheer had rendered to the university, it was decided that at the most, Zaheer could be absorbed one grade higher and be given Rs 25,000 for his ‘meritorious’ services.
But there was another issue at hand: the promotion could be made only after obtaining an NOC from the parent department, from where he had been suspended twice for misconduct, and after the due selection process.
Well… The magic wand had done the trick by then…
It was then on June 6, 2007 that it was notified that Zaheer, who had been serving as Resident Officer-II all these years, will continue to sustain the post, now in BS-20.
When Pakistan Today asked Zaheer to comment in this regard, he banged the phone saying that his appointment was legal and the Syndicate meeting in 2001 had nothing to do with his appointment.
PU VC Mujahid Kamran was not available for comments despite repeated attempts.
Whatever payments have been made to Mr Zaheer, that should be taken out of the pension account of PU VC Mujahid Kamran. That will teach lesson to Mr Kamran.
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