Drap cancels hiring interviews, again

ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) has once again postponed interviews for key regulatory positions, including assistant directors, deputy directors, and federal drug inspectors.

The decision, conveyed without a detailed justification, has frustrated hundreds of candidates and raised concerns about continued staffing shortages that are undermining Drap’s core regulatory functions.

According to an official notice issued by Drap’s Directorate of Human Resources (HR), interviews scheduled from July 31 to August 3, 2025, for the post of assistant director at Lahore have been called off due to unspecified “administrative reasons”.

The cancellation came at the last minute, despite final preparations being in place, including approval from the Drap’s Policy Board, formation of interview panels, and email notifications sent to shortlisted candidates from across the country.

“This decision was taken on instructions from the federal health ministry,” a Drap official confirmed, requesting anonymity. “Internally, Drap has been pushing to complete the hiring process as soon as possible, because we are critically short-staffed and can’t fulfil our regulatory mandate without bringing in new people.”

“Over 90 to 100 key regulatory posts have remained vacant since last year,” said a senior official at Drap. “We’ve followed all procedures and were ready to move forward with interviews. The last-minute interference has disrupted the process once again,” he added.

There has been no public explanation from the Ministry of National Health Services regarding its role in the abrupt postponement.