KARACHI: A powerful lobby inside the Prime Minister office and Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) has openly defied both the judiciary and legislators by refusing to appoint a lawful Director General of the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) having requisite qualification and experience under rules albeit clear court order and subsequent strict recommendation from the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research to act on the court order in letter and spirit.
The court had categorically once again ordered the appointment of the senior-most Director Technical of the DPP as Plant Protection Adviser & Director General as stipulated by departmental rules on last Tuesday, setting aside impugned notification of Mr. Tahir Abbas, a BS-19 officer with disputed financial integrity and hails from Customs Cadre, as Additional Collector Customs, as Director General of DPP by declaring his posting illegal due to lack of requisite qualification and experience in a writ petition filed by Dr. Muhammad Tariq Khan.
Department of Plant Protection is designated as National Plant Protection Organization of Pakistan under obligation of International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) after signing the treaty in 1954 and its Director General is required to have qualification and expertise in pest identification, pest surveillance, control measures, sanitary and phytosanitary measures under requirement of IPPC to achieve objectives of the IPPC. Unfortunately, no government has paid intention to it and has always been posted his favourite non-technical bureaurats as head of DPP defying rules for the past 25 years which has reputed it the most defamed and corrupt department on this part of the planet.
The shocking revelation stunned members of the Senate Committee on National Food Security and Research, chaired by Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan in its last Thursday meeting held in committee room of National Assembly, Islamabad that the ministry has kept pending posting of senior most Director Technical as Director Geneneral despite court order. Lawmakers had expressed outrage at what they described as a blatant disregard for judicial authority and legislators, an attempt to undermine the highest legislative body of the country.
Tariq Khan, the petitioner as senior most Director Technical in the case, appeared before the committee and alleged that vested interests of the ministry in the DPP were deliberately blocking his lawful appointment. “The order is crystal clear, but the ministry has chosen to defy it. An impugned notification was issued by the DPP under Tahir Abbas and Mr. Bilal Haider to surrender his services to surplus pool under the garb of right sizing of DPP on the same day when the court ordered declard posting of Mr. Tahir Abbas as illegal and to appoint of senior most Director Techncial as Director General DPP. The Cabinet had ordered to surrender vacant posts and non-core posts of departments but Mr. Tahir Abbas and Mr. Bilal Haider surrendered core and senior most filled posts and retained non-core vacant posts of of Assitant Director Admin, Deputy Director Admin, Director Admin which are vacant since 2021 along with post where deputationist was appointed in sheer violation of cabinet instruction”, Mr. Tariq Khan told committee.
The drama intensified when senators noticed Tahir Abbas, the removed DG, quietly sitting in the committee room and introducing himself as Plant Protection Adviser and Director General in blatant contempt of court order. His presence caused uproar. The committee chairman ordered him not to sit in the meeting, leave the room immediately and report to his parent department, a move that highlighted just how far the ministry’s defiance of court rulings had gone. Earlier, the committee has reported his rampant corruption, abuse of power, favouritism and nepotism.
Senator Aimal Wali Khan, waving a copy of the court order, thundered: “ the recent court order has proved that all allegations and subsequent proceedings conducted by the ministry against Mr. Khan are incorrect, baseless and with malafide and ulterior motives, hence, the ministry has no other option but to comply, otherwise, contempt proceedings may follow against those responsible, even today presence of Mr. Tahir Abbas in the committee will attract contempt proceeding on the committee as well”.
Mr. Saleem Mandviwala commented that the senior most three Director Technical has been made scapegoat to ajust favourites for ulterior motives defying rules and proposed to constitute sub-committee to probe the matter of forced retirement, dissmissal and surrendering of core and senior officials to surplus pool against cabinet instruction and to determine who recommended and made illegal appointments.
Despite repeated assurances from Secretary MNFSR, Mr. Ameer Mohyuddin that Mr. Tariq Khan is senior most Director Technical as per seniority list of DPP and his summary for appointment has been moved to the Federal Minister who is on official tour to Saudi Arabia and upon his arrival in Pakistan, the court order will be complied in letter and spirit. He further confirmed that Mr. Tahir Abbas has been removed and his today participation in the committee is just under committee instruction to give clarification on matters regarding DPP if any during his tenure, senators remained unconvinced, warning that continued defiance could trigger legal consequences as well adverse recommendation from the committee against responsibles and demanded immediate compliance with the court order.
In last December, Mr. Khan was suspended by MoNFS&R on account of administrative failure after rice interception in EU with pesticides residues and aflatoxin which falls within mandate of provinces food safety authorities and appointed initially Mr. Waqas Alam, hails from PAS, general manager PASCCO, also involved in PASCCO wheat scam and then, Mr. Tahir Abbas as DG of DPP earlier this year. Both officers are considered close friends and front man of Dr. Syed Bilal Haider, Joint Secretary, Admin, MNFSR in PASCCO and DPP. Mr. Khan petition for declaring his surrendering to surplus pool illegal by these officers is also fixed in the same court for decision in next hearing.
As per details available in media reports, Dr. Syed Bilal Haider, a BS-19 PAS Officer hailing from Majoki Malian village, Tehsil, district Sheikhupura came into limelight on charges of extorting money against transfer posting of assistant commissioner, deputy commissioner, commissioners and amassing illegal gratification for managing govt. contracts for favourite companies, firms and people as frontman official of Farah Gogee from 20 August 2018 to 30 April 2022 during PTI regime. He was made OSD immediately after end of govt. after one year, he again managed to get posting ED, Punjab Council of the Arts politically after settling his corruption. He was made again OSD and surrendered to Establishment Division by present Punjab govt. on continued connection with Farah Gogee and echo of his corruption all around in May 2024. Again, after a gap of six months, he managed to get posting in MNFSR as Joint Secretary Admin in November, 2024 influencing Rana Tanveer Hussain, federal minister, greeting his constituency from District Sheikhupura on political basis. He is now considered his front man.
According insiders in the MNFSR, due to his corrupt practices, illegal instructions, demands of bribe for posting, transfer and retain lucrative posting, illegal inquiries for minting money, nepotism, threatening/insulting behaviour, etc., Two Additional Secretaries Ayesha Khalid and Sajid Mehmood, 5 Joint Secretaries, 7 Deputy Secretaries, 9 section officers Qazi have left ministry. Mr Ameer Mohayudin AS has obtained his requisition from other Ministry because federal minister defends him everywhere as only competent officer in ministry despite situation otherwise. Mr. Haider spent 50 lakhs on renovation of new office of minister recently on bogus bill drawn from the PPUD project.
Surprisingly, Dr. Syed Bilal Haider, Joint Secretary Admn has dictated to Mr. Ameer Mohyuddin and Mr. Hussian to appoint Muhammad Basit, his blued Deputy Director, BS-18 against post of BS-20 as Director General DPP instead of Mr. Tariq Khan in sheer violation of law and rules and utter disregard of court and senate committee instruction, sources within Secretary office revealed.
Mr. Bilal Haider has already entrusted three current / look after charges to Mr. Muhammad Basit, Deputy Director, BS-18 against three posts of Director Quarantine, BS-19, Director Pesticides Registration, BS-19 and Director Locust, BS-19 for the past nine months despite principle accuse in mega corruption case of DPP illegally and he is also exercising regulatory powers illegally as per his orders and surrendering of all three post of Director Technical of DPP to surplus pool under right sizing program.
The businessmen has demanded posting of Mr. Khan as Director General immediately for safe export of regulated articles and expressed alarm that the affairs of such a critical department are still being handled by a person work from home who has already been removed through judicial intervention under instruction of Mr. Bilal Haider. Further, 70 percent rice, 80 percent corn, 54 percent sesame and 70 percent mango export has been reduced to EU, Vietnam, China and Iran respectively and 0.75 MMT whea shortfall was already estimated during last year and recent floods has already aggravated the food security situation in the country due to policies made by Mr. Bilal for the federal minister.
