–Letter to interior secretary asks him to take ‘necessary action’ on Shabnam’s appointment ‘as discussed on phone with Zartaj Gul’
–Zartaj Gul denies nepotism, says her sister was appointed on merit
ISLAMABAD: The appointment of State Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul’s sister, Shabnam Gul, as a director of National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) has become controversial as an official letter points to preferential treatment allegedly given to the latter due to her sister’s influence.
Shabnam was serving as an assistant professor at Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) in Grade-18, however, all at once she was appointed as a director of the key counter-terrorism body of the country.
According to documents seen by Pakistan Today, Samiul Haq, Principal Staff Officer (PSO) to Zartaj Gul, wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Major (r) Azam Suleman Khan on February 27, and referred to him a telephonic conversation which took place between him and the state minister. He then asked him to take “necessary action” regarding the appointment of Shabnam Gul in NACTA.
Resultantly, Shabnam Gul was posted in NACTA on May 22.
“I am directed to state that the services of Ms Shabnam Gul, Assistant Professor, Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), Lahore, are required for her posting against an available post of Director (BS-19) in National Counterterrorism Authority (NACTA) Islamabad on deputation basis,” says a letter issued by Syed M Rashid Qadri Gillani, Deputy Director (HR) addressed to the Joint Secretary, Establishment Division.
ZARTAJ DEFENDS SISTER’S APPOINTMENT:
Talking to Pakistan Today, Zartaj Gul, however, defended the appointment of her sister in NACTA.
“My sister is a BPS-19 officer doing her PhD in terrorism and FATA. She has an MPhil in International Relations and her thesis was terrorism. Her posting as director was against an advertised post by NACTA and she was only selected due to her specialisation in counter-terrorism,” the state minister claimed.
She added that NACTA had interviewed several candidates and the impression that her sister was selected without due process was wrong.
“Also, NACTA always picks people from other government departments as they don’t have their own people. Shabnam was not given any preferential treatment. She was in government service before I became a minister. If people from any minister’s family are competent, should they be discriminated against,” she argued.
NACTA CLARIFIES:
NACTA also offered a clarification in this regard, saying that it received a total of 12 requests from employees of different federal and provincial government departments working in BS 17 to 19 for posting in NACTA on deputation basis.
A three-member committee interviewed the applicants on May 14 for vacant posts of assistant directors, deputy directors and directors, and cases of six out of 12 candidates were recommended to be sent to Establishment Division, according to a statement issued by the NACTA.
“Ms Shabnam Gul was one of the selected candidates. The committee recommended her purely on merit for posting against one of the vacant posts of directors as she is already working in BS-19,” it clarified.
The NACTA said Shabnam Gul is a PhD scholar with several papers on counter-extremism and terrorism, and found appropriate and relevant for research wing.
“Being found a suitable candidate to serve at NACTA, her services were requisitioned through Establishment Division on May 22. The news item circulating on media is totally baseless,” the NACTA said further in its statement.
“The NACTA followed 100 per cent merit and due process in requisitioning of her services.”