Appointment of blue-eyed DG PWD lands in court

ISLAMABAD: In a rare move to appoint a blue-eyed person aging 66 as head of Public Works Department (PWD), Ministry of Housing and Works sets Supreme Court (SC)’s directives on upper age limit aside and sent a summary to the prime minister for his approval. The ministry says they have solid reasons to justify this appointment.
However, the appointment has already been challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) which has sought ministry’s reply on it, being in violation of apex court’s directives and violation of merit.
Secretary Housing and Works Shahrukh Arbab told The News the ministry has violated neither any rules nor any directives of the Supreme Court. “We will submit our reply in the honorable court as there is no harm in giving look-after charge of a department to a person who already is heading another institution as both the departments function under the same ministry. After the retirement of DG PWD, the ministry had to appoint someone on look-after basis so that department could maintain its smooth functioning,” commented Shahrukh Arbab.
He said the ministry has sent a summary to the prime minister for giving charge of PWD to Ali Akbar initially for the period of three months on current basis which would further be extended in the later stages. However, it is up to the premier to approve the summary or not.
When asked whether there was no other official in the PWD who could take over the charge on look-after basis, the secretary said there was no person who was eligible for this slot from within the department as the only official of grade 20 was facing some inquiries and had no management training course.
Earlier, the IHC sought Establishment Division’s remarks on this appointment whereas the IHC has also sought Housing Ministry’s comments over the appointment of a retired government official as director general Pak PWD after attaining the age of superannuation in 2009.
As per the petition filed in IHC, Ali Akbar Sheikh has been appointed managing director of the National Construction Limited (NCL). Secretary housing & works entrusted him the look-after charge of MD Pak PWD through notification on March 17.
S M Zohair Khalid, Chief Engineer (Central Zone) Pak PWD Lahore, challenged the appointment in IHC under Article 199 making the Prime Minister office through Secretary to the Prime Minister, Federation through Secretary Establishment Division, Federal Secretary Ministry of Housing and Works and Ali Akbar Sheikh, as respondents.
Petitioner’s council contended that without seeking approval of the prime minister, Secretary Housing & Works issued notification unlawfully.Rahim further apprised the bench that his client was aggrieved of the impugned notification saying, “Sheikh has backing of political personalities and managed to get the post of MD NCL after his six years of retirement and in garb of that post has attempted to grab the post of civil servant in BS-21 as DG Pak PWD,” he said.
The petitioner requested the court to declare the notification of March 17 as void and directed the respondents to issue notification to entrust him current charge of the post of DG Pak PWD till posting of a regular incumbent for the slot.