Severe Internal Crisis in the Ministry of Science and Technology

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) is facing a severe internal crisis, marked by a power struggle and mismanagement, leading to a series of abrupt terminations and reckless postings of unqualified individuals. The situation has caught the attention of the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology, whose chairman, Senator Sardar Shafiq Tareen, has accused the MoST Minister of involvement in illegal transfers and appointments.

In a strongly worded letter addressed to the Secretary Establishment, and copied to various Senate Standing Committees, Senator Tareen highlighted the ongoing mismanagement and undue pressure on the Chairman of the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), Dr. Shahid Mehmood Baig. The PSF, a federal autonomous statutory body, is known for its scientific eminence and is chaired by a distinguished scientist appointed by the President of Pakistan.

The letter brought to light a summary initiated by the MoST Minister for the removal of Dr. Shahid Mehmood Baig from his position as Chairman of PSF. Senator Tareen asserted that the summary was illegal and violated the MPI Scale policy, lacking any proper explanation, notice, or disciplinary proceedings against Dr. Baig.

The controversy arose when Dr. Baig took action against Dr. Hafeez ullah Khan, an officer who held four positions in a span of two months, raising concerns about favoritism and mismanagement within the Ministry. Dr. Khan was appointed as Member Science in PSF by the Minister, bypassing the authority of the Chairman of PSF, leading to further tensions.

Upon scrutiny, it was revealed that Dr. Khan had a history of compulsory retirement from service in 2016, and despite losing his cases in 2017 and the appeal in 2018 at the Islamabad High Court, he was still awarded the position by the Minister.

The termination letter by PSF cited that the de-novo inquiry report concealed and misrepresented court judgments related to Dr. Khan, making the report flawed. Dr. Hafeez, however, stated that the Chairman of PSF did not have the authority to withdraw his appointment order, and only the PSF Board of Trustees could do so. Dr. Baig, on the other hand, argued that in the absence of a functioning PSF BoT, he had the right to make such decisions as per the rules.

Despite numerous attempts, the MoST Minister, Agha Hassan Baloch, remained unavailable for comment.

The Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), established under the PSF Act 1973, operates as an autonomous body under the administrative control of the Ministry of Science & Technology. The ongoing crisis raises concerns about the integrity of the Ministry and calls for immediate intervention to address the rampant mismanagement and restore stability.