FPSC in grip of COVID-19: Chairman-designate fails to take oath

ISLAMABAD: The second wave of COVID-19 has hit hard the government offices also, and one of the most affected departments is the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC).

According to official sources, the chairman-designate of the FPSC, Capt (retd) Maroof Afzal, fell victim to coronavirus and he could not take oath of his office on time. He is being treated at his home, where he had been quarantined.

Maroof is a member of the FPSC and he could not assume his responsibilities as chairman of the commission last week, just before two days of his swearing in. Sources told The News that it is likely Maroof Afzal would be administered oath by the president early next month.

It seems the government offices in the federal capital and authorities concerned did not take appropriate measures for testing the civil servants and enforcing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) strictly.

FPSC Secretary Ms Humaira Ahmed also fell victim to the virus, but she recovered in about a week. She is a senior officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), who earlier served as secretary to the president of the country. She has resumed her office now.

Also, former special secretary Foreign Office and distinguished diplomat Muhammad Waheedul Hasan died of coronavirus on Thursday. He was in his mid-60s and tested positive for the virus last week.

Muhammad Waheed earlier served as country’s ambassador in Uzbekistan, which was his last assignment abroad. He was appointed special secretary in the Foreign Office in 2015 and he served in that position for about three years before attaining superannuation.

Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Zahid Hafiz Chaudhry, officers and staff of the Foreign Office have expressed grief over the death of Waheedul Hasan. They prayed for the departed soul and expressed sympathies with the late diplomat’s family.