Commerce Ministry has recently selected 41 Commercial Counsellors and Commercial secretaries, who are now getting training in an institute of the same Ministry prior to leaving for destined countries.
Though Commerce Minister, Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Commerce Secretary, Munir Qureshi had promised the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Commerce that the selection and posting process of Commercial Counsellors will be transparent, but political influence in selection and posting was witnessed at all levels notwithstanding tests which were conducted by the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) at a fee of Rs 2.5 million.
The documents reveal that Muhammad Aslam Chaudhary, who got 13.41 marks in test out of 20, 8.03 in IT skills out of 10, 9 marks in Personal Evaluation Report (PER) out of 10 and 36 in interview out of 60 marks totalling 66.44. His recommendations came from Prime Minister through Mian Manzoor Watto, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas. Chaudhry who is an officer of Audit and Accounts Group has worked with Watto as Director.
Farid Ahmad Tarar, another BPS 18 officer of Audit and Accounts Group was the nominee of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. He obtained 11.31 in test, 5 in IT skills, 9 in PER. However, he was given 48 marks in interview worth of which is questionable. He is the brother of Akhlaq Tarar former Federal Secretary.
Altaf Ahmad, BPS 91 officer of Audit and Accounts Group was the nominee of Rasul Bux Sand. He obtained 9. 85 marks in test, 6.78 marks in IT skills, 8 marks in PER and 36 marks in interview.
Mehfooz Ahmed Bhatti, BPS 19 of Audit and Accounts was the nominee of Minister for Ministry of Religious Affairs. He got 9.28 marks in test, 8.21 in IT skills, 9 marks in PER and 36 in interview out of 60.
Shahzad Hussain Rana, BPS 19 officer of Commerce and Trade Group was the nominee of Minister for Climate Change/ Member National Assembly Standing Committee Commerce, Rana Farooq Saeed Khan. He got 11.11 in test, 5.7 marks in IT skills 10 marks in PER and 42 marks in interview.
Qamar Zaman a BPS 18 officer of Commerce and Trade Group was also the nominee of Rana Farooq Saeed through Minister for Commerce, Makhdoom Amin Fahim. He got 11.88 marks in test, 8.93 marks in IT Skills and 9.5 marks in PER. His marks in interview are not mentioned in the documents.
Faiz Ahmad BPS 19 officer of Custom and Excise was the nominee of Minister for Information and Broadcasting. He got 8.97 marks in test, 6.07 marks in IT skills, 9 in PER and 42 in interview.
Rizwan Basharat, BPS 18 officer of Custom and Excise Group was the nominee of General Shahid through Commerce Minister, Makhdoom Amin Fahim. He got 15.11 marks in test, 9.28 marks in IT skills and 9 marks in PER. His marks in interview are not mentioned in the documents.
Basit Maqsood Abbasi, BPS 18 officer of Custom and Excise Group was the nominee of Prime Minister. He got 9.65 marks in test, 8.2 marks in IT skills and 8 marks in PER. His marks in interview are not available.
Amir Thahim, BPS 18 officer of Custom and Excise Group, was supported by Minister for Inter Provincial Co-ordination, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani. His marks in test were 9.05 followed by 5.35 in IT skills and 8 in PER. His total marks are not available,
Arbab Qaisar Hamaid BPS 18 officer of Custom and Excise Group had got recommendation of Minister of State for Commerce Abbas Afridi who has now been promoted to Federal Minister and allocated the portfolio of Frontier Region. He obtained 9 marks in test, 3.57 marks in IT skills, 7 marks in PER and 48 marks in interview.
Farah Farooq officer of BPS 18 Custom and Excise Group had the recommendation of MQM (full name is not known). She got 8.83 marks in test, 7.15 marks in IT skills, 9 in PER and 45 marks in interview.
Javed Sarwar Sheikh, BPS 18 officer of Custom and Excise Group was the nominee of Syed Khurshid Shah.
Captain Muhammad Khurram Agha(retired) BPS 20 officer of DMG- Commissioner Multan, had the recommendation of former Prime Minister, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani through Commerce Minister. According to TR sheet he got 9.1 marks in test, 7.68 in IT skills 10 marks in PER and 45 in interview.
Shehryar Taj, BPS 19 of DMG, was the nominee of Prime Minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf( classified as PM 2 in documents). He got 14.28 marks in test, 7.5 in IT skills, 8 in PER and 48 in interview.
Salman Mufti BPS 19 DMG officer had the recommendation of Prime Minister (classified as PM 12). He got 11.55 marks in test, 6.61 in IT skills and 9 in PER. His marks in interview are not available.
Wasif Khurshid, BPS 19 DMG officer had the recommendation of Asif Saeed Khosa. He got 11.38 marks in test, 8.03 in IT skills, 9 in PER and 48 in interview.
Zahid Akhtar Zaman, BPS 19 DMG officer was the favourite of Abdul Qadir Gilani son of former Prime Minister. He got 11.3 marks in test, 7.65 in IT skills, 8.5 in PER and 48 in interview.
Dr Naeem Rauf, BPS 19 of DMG had the " Parchi" of KB Rind. He got 10.4 in test, 8.4 in IT skills, 10 in PER and 48 marks in interview.
Zahid Ali Abbasi, BPS 18 of DMG had the recommendation of Habib Ullah Kalwar. He got 8. 54 marks in test, 6.78 marks in IT skills, 8.25 marks in PER and 48 marks in interview.
Mudassar Riaz Malik, BPS 18 DMG was the nominee of Abdul Qadir Gilani, son of former Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani. He got 9.98 marks in test, 7.65 marks in IT skills and 8 marks in PER. His numbers in interview are not mentioned in the documents available with Business Recorder.
Ambreen Iftikhar- BPS 19 Income Tax Group was the nominee of Finance Minister, Salim Mandviwala who is also a close friend of Secretary Commerce Munir Qureshi. She got 14.86 marks in test, 8.57 in IT skills, 8 in PER and 48 in interview.
Khurshid Ahmad Khan Marwat BPS 19 Income Tax group had the "Parchi" of Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman. He got 13.37 marks in test, 8.4 in IT skills, 7.75 marks in PER and 48 marks in interview.
Javed Ahmad BPS 19 DMG officer had the recommendations of Samina Ghurki through Commerce Minister.
Azra Jamali, BPS 20 officer of Secretariat Group, a close relative of Minister for IT, Chengez Jamali has also been selected on the 'parchi' of Commerce Minister.
Azra Jamali (BS 19 was going to Prague and now to Montreal against BS 20 post) (Recommended for BS 20 last week by the Promotion Board, after the posting order, but still not notified).
Ijlal Khattak (BS 18 was going to Berlin and now to London against BS 19 post) posted as Deputy Secretary PM Sectt.
Adil Khan Miankhel (BS 18) is going to Astana against BS 19 post.
The policy specifies a panel of three officers against each post, whereas the panel proposed in summary of Commerce Ministry to the Prime Minister has proposed 61 names against 43 posts. (violation of Rule 4 of the 1981)
Advertised criteria of "three year recent experience in Economic Ministries / Departments including Finance, Agriculture, Commerce and Industries has also not been met specially in the posting of most of the DMG (PAS), Sectt and Accounts Group Officers.
Secondly, the criteria does not mention Revenue Division whereas 17 officers of Customs (11 posted and 6 on waiting list) and 8 officers of IRS (5 posted and 3 on waiting list) approved for posting are from FBR with no relevant experience in economic ministries. (Violation of advertised criteria)
One Nabila Iqbal of IRS (income Tax group) has been offered a posting in Prague despite the fact that she was not even on the waiting list of the summary for postings abroad sent on 6th February and approved on 8th February Her husband Faran Baig is SP Police and a close confidante of Chaudhry's of Gujrat.
Khurram Agha, Commissioner Multan, Zahid Zaman DCO Multan and Erfa Iqbal, Addl PSO to PM Gilani have all been posted abroad which shows the influence of former PM Gilani on the current posting order. All three have not worked in any economic ministry for three years in their entire service career.
The lack of transparency is evident from the fact that the result of the LUMS Test and interview has still not been shared with the applicants and with the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, which was not shown the result and which had expressed its dissatisfaction with the selection process and advised the Ministry to scrap the process and initiate a new one.