A leaked laboratory test on betel nuts has spiraled into an unprecedented power struggle between Science Minister Khalid Magsi and PCSIR Chairman Dr. Hussain Abidi, exposing a breakdown of communication, inquiry clashes, and administrative defiance within Pakistan’s top scientific body.
ISLAMABAD: A routine laboratory test on betel nuts has exploded into one of the worst bureaucratic clashes in Pakistan’s scientific sector, revealing deep fractures between the Federal Minister for Science and Technology Khalid Magsi and PCSIR Chairman Dr. Syed Hussain Abidi, a rift that has paralyzed coordination and shaken confidence in the country’s top research body.
The feud, simmering for months, finally came into public view when Minister Magsi admitted before the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology, chaired by Senator Kamil Ali Agha, that he had completely stopped communicating with the PCSIR chief for the past three months over “serious administrative and inquiry-related disputes.”
“I have had no communication with the chairman PCSIR for three months,” the minister told the committee. “I have kept my distance, but instructed my ministry that nothing regarding PCSIR should be done with my consent or approval, let PCSIR do what it wants.”
The minister’s words confirmed what had long circulated in bureaucratic corridors that the Science Ministry and its premier attached department were locked in open conflict, primarily over a leaked laboratory test report on betel nuts, which had exposed major irregularities and raised questions about data manipulation.
According to insiders, the controversy began when PCSIR’s Lahore laboratory issued Test Report No. GET04-11/07, which contradicted earlier findings about the health safety of imported betel nuts. The report’s leak led to embarrassment for the ministry, triggering an inquiry by the Ministry of Science and Technology. But instead of cooperating, PCSIR formed its own parallel fact-finding committee and even wrote to NAB and FIA asking them to investigate the matter, reportedly without prior authorization from the ministry.
The move, ministry officials said, was a direct violation of administrative protocol and a rare act of defiance by an attached department against its parent ministry.
“It’s unprecedented,” a senior official informed the committee. “The ministry formed an inquiry, but PCSIR started acting as if it was an independent agency. The letter to NAB and FIA without approval was the breaking point.”
At the Senate committee meeting, the minister hinted that the conflict had taken a toll on institutional functioning, even suggesting an in-camera session to discuss “sensitive matters” between him and the PCSIR chairman.
Adding to the drama were unconfirmed reports that Magsi had briefly considered resigning, citing insubordination by a subordinate official “protected by powerful quarters.” While the minister denied formally tendering a resignation, he admitted that “discipline and respect in institutions are often compromised when personal egos overpower official decorum.”
The Senate committee, while visibly frustrated by the turf war, shifted attention to other high-stakes matters—most notably, a Rs135 billion scam involving hazardous petrol adulterants allegedly linked to PCSIR’s Quetta laboratory.
Officials informed that five PCSIR officers had been identified in the internal inquiry:
- Mujeeb-ur-Rehman (Director, BS-20, Retired)
- Zaheer-ud-Din (Sr. Scientific Officer, BS-18, Retired)
- Junaid Ahmed (Scientific Officer, BS-17)
- Hiba Amanat Ali (Scientific Officer, BS-17)
- Muhammad Ajmal (Exp Officer/ILO, BS-17)
Three serving officers have already faced departmental action, while the FIA has been asked to initiate criminal proceedings against the two retired officials.
Senator Kamil Ali Agha condemned the revelations as “a case of grave financial misconduct and a threat to national safety,” demanding a compliance report and full accountability.
The committee also revisited the betel nut testing controversy, noting that professional rivalries, internal politics, and disputes over seniority appeared to have influenced lab results — putting public health at serious risk.
“We cannot overlook this,” Senator Agha remarked. “If results vary from one lab to another, either the testing method is flawed, or someone is manipulating the data. Both are dangerous.”
Minister Magsi told the committee that Prime Minister’s Office has taken notice of the situation and directed that all future pre-shipment tests for edible and chemical imports be conducted by either PCSIR or accredited independent laboratories.
Despite the tension, the committee briefly discussed progress on the Pak–Korea Solar Research Lab, where final calibration is expected to be completed by the end of October. Senator Agha praised the project but reminded the ministry that “national advancement cannot happen in an atmosphere of institutional distrust.”
The meeting concluded with an unusual consensus: the Science Ministry’s internal rift rooted in a leaked betel nut test, has grown into a full-scale governance crisis, raising doubts about how Pakistan’s key scientific institutions are being managed.
