KARACHI, Jan 24: Messy affairs at the Ministry of Ports and Shipping are affecting the day-to-day working of the Karachi Port and Port Qasim which handle around 95 per cent of the country’s external trade.

Unlike any other national institution, ports are known to work as ‘windows’ through which a nation interacts with other nations commercially.

The reason is said to be an on-going tussle between the ministry and the authorities running the day-to-day affairs of these ports.

The issue that aggravated the situation was favouritism, nepotism in transfers, postings, promotions and re-employment of all categories of staff members and officers.

Some of the documents made available to this scribe confirmed that merit has not been the deciding factor in transfers, postings, promotions and re-employment that has been going on at an unprecedented scale.

Many changes have been made in violation of rules and regulations that generated tension.

The interest of prime minister in the affairs of ports and his disenchantment with manner of appointments has further raised the temperature.

An official circular of Port Qasim Authority (Secretariat) No: PQA/SY/03/08, dated: 31.12.2008, states: “Prime Minister’s Task Force on Employment has remarked that Admin Division/HRM Department have issued Medical Letters for the posts from BPS-5 to 15 and above without obtaining the requisite NOC and directed that all such Medical Letters be treated as cancelled.”

In the light of these irregularities and since no NOC and approval from the competent authority had been obtained the HRM Department of the PQA had to cancel and withdraw all appointments and medical letters issued earlier.

The Prime Minister’s Task Force on employment asked the PQA authorities to strictly follow the procedure, rules, regulations, qualifications and experience required for each post from BPS-5 to BPS-15 and above. Above all the task force also directed for the adherence to the regional quota specified in the rules and instructions in letter and spirit.

According to PQA sources, about 262 people were issued appointment, posting, promotion and re-employment letters with such glaring violations of rules and regulations and by passing procedures where an officer of BPS-16 was given BPS-19 with a stroke of a pen.

In a letter of Ministry of

Ports and Shipping (U.O.

No.1 (40)/2004-P&S-II dated 21.01.2009 and addressed to chairman PQA Afsar Din Talpur the minister of state for Ports and Shipping has warned the chairman for not complying or taking action on his various directives and decisions conveyed to him through the ministry.

The letter issued with the signatures of Senior Joint Secretary S. M. Hasan Zaidi is a sort of charge-sheet because it has leveled four serious charges against the PQA chairman.

Firstly, it has pointed out that PQA has made investment in low rated banks instead of AAA or AA banks. Secondly, non-issuance of notification of re-employment of Abdullah Legahr as D G (P&D/P&CW) despite issuance of notification by the establishment division. Thirdly, non-compliance of orders of ministry in case of repatriation of Abdul Jabbar Memon, D S BS-18 to his parent department and non-implementation of the orders relating to posting of Syed Zainul Abedin Shah as Director (Industrial Management), BS-20 and revision of Zafarullah Rind, deputy manager (BS-18) to his original post.

In yet another letter of the ministry (U O No.1 (4)/minister/2008, dated 23rd January 2009) the PQA chairman had been warned of making frequent changes resulting in frustration amongst the officers of the port and creating administrative problems in the smooth running of official business of the port.

The letter directed that in order to streamline organisational set-up, no re-organisational or re-designation, including posting and transfers of BS-20 and above officers, from one department to other should be made without prior approval of the ministry.

There are similar cases in KPT where a large number of files are pending for decision before the chairperson seeking out of turn promotions, re-employment, appointments and postings.

KPT sources disclosed that a junior officer had been influencing the chairperson through the ministry of ports and shipping for appointing him as general manager administration which is a PBS-20 post. However, the chairperson KPT bravely faced the situation and refused to bow down. Nevertheless, some posts have been already filled under pressure.

But ports and shipping sources question as to who is to be blamed for this mess-up which has almost crippled the working of these ports and it seems a tug of war is going on between the ministry and ports.

The sources told Dawn that in appointing and promotion of 262 officers and staff members the minister was personally interested and he took extra time out to ensure these letters are issued. However, the situation turned ugly as the PQA chairman tried to resist the matter because these appointments and promotions were in violation of rules and procedures laid down by the Establishment Division Code (ESTACODE), the sources said.

Another question is being raised by port experts that as to why the secretary of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping who is the chief executive officer and also principal account officer (PAO) is a silent spectator.