PTA’s not-out policy for its favourites

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) doesn’t have its director general finance who also happens to be the chief financial officer. The position has been lying vacant for more than eight years. No effort was made to fill it. However, in December last year, the Member Finance not only advertised the slot, he also had a candidate in mind to fill this position. Who? He himself.

An accountant by profession, Muhammad Naveed had been the Member Finance for four years. During his stint, he also served as PTA acting chairman until the appointment of Maj. General (retd) Amir Azeem Bajwa in January 2019. Naveed retired in April this year. Before his retirement, the PTA sent a summary for his extension to the federal government, which is the appointing authority of the chairman and members of PTA; it was not approved. But he didn’t give up.

As the PTA received a good number of applications in response to the advertised position of DG Finance, Naveed was included among them, though it is of a lower category when compared with the post of Member Finance that he held. Apparently, on purpose, no activity was conducted to complete the selection process in the space of more than four months until he retired in April.

Afterward, when the shortlisting was carried out by an officer who worked under Naveed, he was among the top candidates of this list. Subsequently, the call letters were issued and again, Naveed is among those who were interviewed. Taking this pattern as a guide, there is no prize in guessing who will be selected. Insiders say the entire recruitment process for this coveted position in the telecom regulator has been carried out to favour one individual in which clear conflict of interest is visible right from the beginning.

Background discussions with PTA officials reveal that this is not a unique case in the regulator. It has rather become a norm to retain the already employed officers through advertisement as a number of such appointments have already been made.

A consultant at PTA, for example, has been employed as Director Litigation through newspaper advertisement. Likewise, some army officers have been hired in the same manner. The News sent questions to PTA for a version on the case of Naveed, director litigation and army officers. The director public relations of the regulator replied the following: “Appointments are made in PTA, strictly in accordance with PTA Employees Service Regulations 2008 and on merit. Position of DG (Finance) was advertised in open competition on 26th December 2021. Spirit of 'open competition' provides an open-door policy for all the eligible candidates to come and compete for the position including the departmental candidate. Hiring is done through a transparent manner where shortlisting and selection committees are constituted to seek the best possible candidate against the advertised position.

“All vacancies in PTA are filled through advertised positions and open competition. Appointment of a Member of the Authority is the prerogative of the Federal Government and PTA does not have any role in this regard. As per record, PTA has no intimation regarding declining of the extension case of the then Member (Finance).”