KARACHI: In a significant turn of events, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) has finally relieved Mr. Tahir Abbas, a BS-19 officer of the Pakistan Customs Service, from the post of Plant Protection Adviser and Director General of the Department of Plant Protection (DPP), days after the Sindh High Court (SHC) issued contempt notices to senior officials of the ministry.
Also read: https://thepublictribune.com/shc-issues-contempt-notice-to-mnfsr-over-illegal-dg-appointment/
According to the official order issued on October 5, Abbas was relieved with effect from October 2, 2025. The wording of the notification, however, amounts to an admission that the ministry failed to follow the SHC’s September 18 directive until the court initiated contempt proceedings. Even more telling is the fact that while the order removes Abbas, it makes no mention of appointing the senior-most Director Technical as DG, as required under the rules and reiterated by the court. This omission means the ministry is still not in full compliance with the judgment.
The SHC, in its September 18 ruling, had declared Abbas’s appointment illegal due to lack of requisite qualifications and experience, directing that the senior-most Director Technical of DPP be appointed instead. Despite the clarity of the order, Abbas continued to operate in office until October, forcing the SHC to intervene through contempt action.
Lawmakers in the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security had earlier voiced outrage at the ministry’s defiance, calling it a “blatant disregard for judicial authority and parliamentary oversight.”
The Department of Plant Protection is Pakistan’s designated National Plant Protection Organization under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). Its Director General must be a technical expert in plant quarantine, pest identification, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Successive governments, however, have often bypassed this requirement, placing non-technical bureaucrats at the helm, which has damaged both the department’s credibility and Pakistan’s international commitments.
While Abbas’s removal belatedly enforces part of the SHC judgment, legal experts say the failure to appoint the senior-most Director Technical exposes the ministry to continued contempt risks. Observers believe the court will keep the matter under strict scrutiny to ensure its ruling is implemented in both letter and spirit.
