ISLAMABAD, May 15: Unrest prevails in the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) as its management and the employees union are at loggerheads over the legitimacy of the appointment of its chairman.

The PRCS management maintained that the government was well within its rights to appoint its officiating chairman. The employees union, however, argued that the appointment of Major-Gen (retired) Chaudhry Mohammad Nawaz as the officiating chairman of the humanitarian organisation by the Ministry of National Regulations and Resources compromised the basic principles of the society.

Head of the resource development department Amjad Pervez added that the appointment of the chairman was controversial even after the 18th amendment.

The Employees Welfare Association PRCS said the chairman could only be appointed by the President of Pakistan who was also the head of the humanitarian organisation like it had been since it came into being in 1947.

The PRCS employees supported their argument with the last appointment of Sherry Rehman who was recommended by the Prime Minister but appointed by the President.

“The 18th amendment was signed by the President on April 19, 2010 and Ms Rehman was appointed by the President on October 8, 2011. This shows that the President is still the appointing authority,” said a representative of the welfare association holding up Ms Rehman’s appointment letter (copy available with Dawn).

Mr Pervez argued that the government interference compromised the principles that bound Red Crescents in nearly 200 countries around the world independence, humanity, neutrality, impartiality, universality and voluntary service. “Government interference in appointing the officiating chairman is against Section 10(a) of the constitution of the PRCS. The humanitarian organisation is independent and neutral only if the government is not involved,” said Mr Pervez.

Spokesperson for the PRCS, Baig Raj, said the summary had moved from the Prime Minister House to the President House before. The President then signed it as a symbolic head. “Now the only difference is that the summary still moves from the PM House but to the newly-formed Ministry of National Regulations and Resources and not to the President House,” Baig Raj explained.

He argued that the government involvement had been consistent when Ms Rehman, who was an MNA, was appointed by the President as chairperson of the PRCS.