Ministry restores two BS-20 officers dismissed for corruption

ISLAMABAD: In a glaring violation of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Orders, the Ministry of Science has quietly restored two officers of Grade-20 who were dismissed over alleged corruption and record tampering in 2016, The News has learnt.

According to two separate office orders issued by the Ministry on November 19, copies of which are available with The News, appeals of BS-20 officers Haider Zaman Khattak and Dr Hafeezullah Khan have been accepted and consequently they were allowed to join office.

Both the officers were fired by Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) on charges of corruption and record tampering proven after a through inquiry. Their dismissal was also upheld by the IHC bench of Justice Aamer Farooq on August 16, 2018.

The restoration of officers has created unrest among serving officers in PSF which has refused to allow re-joining of the officers through a letter written to chairman PSF on Friday, November 30.

However, talking to The News, Acting Chairman of PSF Qaiser Majeed said the two officers had been reinstated after the approval of Minister for Science Azam Khan Swati.

Majeed admitted that departmental inquiries and audit paras had pointed out illegalities committed by the said officers, but insisted that the punishment given to them was too severe, so a fresh inquiry will be held to give them another chance of fair trial.

However the documents available with The News confirmed that the major penalties of demotion and early retirement awarded to the said officers by PSF in 2016 were endorsed by the IHC through writ petitions no 762 and 763 of 2017. Both the officers were found guilty of illegal promotions and illegally awarding three increments to each other in violation of rules.

According to an office order by the PSF, No PSF/Admn-4(46)/74-13/1 dated December 30, 2016, Haider Zaman Khattak, Secretary BS-20, PSF was demoted by the competent authority. He was also subjected to compulsory retirement from PSF on the same date. It was found that he got illegal promotion on November 21, 2013 against his post as it was post of Admin Cadre, thus at the time of charge assumption as secretary, he severed all connections with Audit and Account Cadre as well as the post of Additional Director (F&A).

On January 12, 2015, he (Khattak) in the capacity of director finance, PSF, illegally participated in the meeting of two-member executive committee and granted advanced increments to Dr Hafeezullah Khan. “In the same meeting, he became the judge of his own cause and also granted advanced increment to himself without any quantifiable justification which is against all moral, legal canon and also not valid under the normal principles of justice. Thus causing an irregularity for personal monitory gains at the expense of public exchequer,” says the letter.

Another office order was issued by PSF titled PSF/Admn-8(34)/96 on December 30, 2016 to convey compulsory retirement of Dr Hafezullah Khan by the competent authority under clause 4(b)(ii) of PSF Employees Efficiency and Discipline Regulation 1974 with immediate effect.

The order stated that Dr Hafezullah Khan illegally assumed the charge of post of Secretary PSF on November 30, 2013 and later committed various irregularities including illegal promotion of a candidate Haider Zaman Khattak, concealment of facts from Board of Trustees (BOT) and fabrication of ACRs of another candidate Raja Raziul Husnain.

The irregularities committed by both officers were also pointed out by Auditor General of Pakistan in the Audit Report of Public Sector Enterprises (ARPSE) for the year 2015-16.

The two officers filed appeals with PSF against the decision on January 10, 2017 but the appellate authority dismissed the same on February 24, 2017. The appellate authority maintained that two officers were given show cause notices and repeated chance to defend themselves in writing and through personal hearings but they did not avail the three opportunities. The officers filed writ petition against the disciplinary proceedings in the IHC but the same was also dismissed.

When contacted, Qaiser Majeed, Additional Secretary Ministry of Science, who also has additional charge of Chairman PSF, told The News that the reinstatement of the two officers was legitimate. He said the officers have been conditionally allowed to join the office pending decision of a de novo inquiry. “A fresh inquiry will be conducted and if these officers are found guilty again they will be punished accordingly,” the PSF chairman said.

When asked how the Ministry of Science can interference in the affairs of the PSF when there are past court decision declaring the PSF autonomous, Majeed said the funding to PSF comes from the ministry so it has the authority to intervene. When asked about the charges against the accused officers, the PSF chairman admitted some of the charges are correct but maintained that they were punished too severely.

Qaiser Majeed also maintained that the former PSF chairman was not authorised to punish the accused officer after sitting in fact finding committee that found them guilty. He said the accused officers were restored after Azam Swati approved their written appeal and through noting asked the PSF to initiate process of their reinstatement.