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Friday March 29, 2024

Training course moved to capital for blue-eyed bureaucrats

ISLAMABAD: In addition to the policies that are made to benefit the political and business elite, a special training course mandatory for promotion from BS-19 to BS-20 is being organised in the federal capital to oblige those politically-connected bureaucrats who are reluctant to attend it in Lahore. Instructors have

By our correspondents
April 07, 2015
ISLAMABAD: In addition to the policies that are made to benefit the political and business elite, a special training course mandatory for promotion from BS-19 to BS-20 is being organised in the federal capital to oblige those politically-connected bureaucrats who are reluctant to attend it in Lahore.
Instructors have been ‘imported’ from the National School of Public Policy (Lahore) for imparting training to the blue-eyed bureaucrats at the Islamabad-based National Institute of Management (NIM) offering this facility for the first time despite a shortage of space and staff.
The decision to organise the senior management course in the federal capital was made after a blue-eyed officer initiated a campaign for this.
The idea was conceived and propagated by a scion of a bureaucratic dynasty known for close links with the rulers, as he was to attend this course along with his sister, according to informed sources.
This junior VIP of District Management Group posted in Islamabad during the Musharraf government has been here since then, moving from one prized position to another. He has not only managed to continue his service in the federal capital for more than 10 years but the training course has now also been moved from Lahore to Islamabad for his comfort.
He floated the proposal of conducting the training in Islamabad that was well-received by other officers who were due to attend this course as well. Later, he lobbied in the concerned quarters and was consequently endorsed by the most-powerful bureaucrat sitting in the top office. Eventually, the concerned government department ordered to organise the course inordered organising the course in the federal capital. The concerned officer didn’t respond to calls despite repeated efforts made by The News to get his version.
As there were 8000 beneficiaries of National Reconciliation Ordinance (revoked later by the court) just to give a clean chit to Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari of corruption charges, as many as 30 other bureaucrats are the default beneficiary of the policy designed to oblige two scions of the retired principal secretary to the prime minister.
As efforts have yielded results, courtesy the connections in power corridors, senior management course started late Monday at NIM (Islamabad) where Mid-Career Management Course is conducted for the officers aspiring for promotion from BS-18 to BS-19. Senior Management Course (SMC) is offered at Lahore and Karachi whereas National Management Course for promotion from BS-20 to BS-21 is organised in Lahore.
According to the sources at NIM, SMC has never been organised before in Islamabad due to want of space and staff. For the first time, according to the source, five instructors have been deputed for the training of SMC being especially organised for the VIP bureaucrats.
Out five SMC instructors, three have been transported from Lahore including the chief instructor, Intisar Khan.
Those in attendance of the first-ever SMC in Islamabad include five from Pakistan Administrative Service (formerly DMG). They are: Amer Ali Ahmad (Member CDA), Saadia Sarwat Jawaid (deputy secretary, PM office), Nasheeta Maryam Mohsin (deputy secretary, Finance Division), Abrar Ahmed Mirza (deputy secretary, PM Office) and Engineer Sarfraz Durrani (deputy secretary, Establishment Division). There is one officer from Police Service of Pakistan - Muhammad Jaffar (SSP Operations, Quetta). As many as four officers from Secretariat Group are among the participants: Marvi Kadir Dakhan (deputy secretary, Establishment Division), Abbas Khan (at the disposal of Chief Commissionerate Afghan Refugees), Irfan Khan (deputy secretary, SAFRON) and Syed Sibt-e-Abbas Zaidi (Director NDMA, PM Secretariat). One officer is from Foreign Service of Pakistan: Dr. Khalid Ejaz. Four officers from Federal Board of Revenue are attending training: Ardesher Saleem Tariq (additional commissioner, Islamabad), Nasir Iqbal (Director, NAB), Aisha Farooq (Additional Commissioner Islamabad) and Farhat Qayyum (additional director, Rawalpindi). One officer is from Pakistan Customs Service: Iram Maqbool Aamir (additional collector, Islamabad). There are six officers from Pakistan Audit & Accounts Service: Umer Zafar Sheikh (director, President’s Secretariat), Javed Iqbal (posting awaited), Idrees Mian (deputy secretary, Industries), Iftikhar Babar (CMA, FWO), Fahad Haroon (DFA, CDA), and Ahmed Taimoor Nasir (Director MATI, Rawalpindi). One officer from Military Land and Cantonment is attending this course: Bushra Imran. Nine ex-cadre officers were also selected for SMC at Islamabad. They are: Qamar Abbas (DG Board of Investment), Tariq Hamid Butt (additional director, NAB), Najma Azhar (deputy DG at CDA), Nadeem Akbar Malik (DG at CDA), Fazl-e-Mehmood (deputy DG at CDA), Tariq Mehmmod (Intelligence Bureau), Amtiaz Ali Gopang (Deputy Agricultural Development Commissioner), Yousaf Khattak (Regional Election Commission, Kohat) and Syed Nabi Bangash (Federal Public Service Commission).