LAHORE: In a press conference held at the Lahore Press Club, Engineer Zahoor Sarwar, a member of the Governing Body of the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), disclosed alarming issues within the council. He revealed that a mafia has taken control of PEC, focusing on personal gains and business interests, leading to serious irregularities and unethical practices.
Sarwar explained that PEC’s policies have enabled a thriving trade in engineers’ licenses. “No contractor, consultant, or company can participate in government contracts without registering with PEC,” he stated. This registration costs between 400,000 and 500,000 PKR annually, and over 100,000 companies are currently registered. These companies are required to employ engineers, with smaller firms needing two to three and larger firms 15 to 20 engineers each month.
However, Sarwar exposed a troubling practice where many companies, instead of providing actual employment, purchase engineers’ licenses for a year. “For civil engineers, the annual rate is 100,000 PKR, and for mechanical and electrical engineers, it’s 25,000 PKR,” he said. “This reduces an engineer’s monthly value to just 2,000 PKR.”
Parents invest heavily in their children’s engineering education, but these qualifications are being sold rather than utilized. “This situation has caused a significant decline in the younger generation’s interest in engineering,” Sarwar noted.
According to Sarwar, the PEC management is not only aware of these practices but has also implemented policies that entrap engineers. “Once an engineer registers biometrically with a company, they are bound for a year and cannot deregister or switch jobs,” he said.
Extravagant spending by the council has further tarnished its image. “Billions are spent on luxury hotel bookings, TADA, and other lavish expenditures,” Sarwar revealed. “Some members receive multiple vehicles and free petrol, and there are images of lavish feasts on ships and videos of educational conferences turning into music and dance gatherings.”
An appeal has been made to grant the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) the authority to audit PEC’s finances. With over 150,000 unemployed engineers and a decreasing interest in engineering among students, the profession’s future looks bleak. Many engineering departments in major universities are closing.
“In light of these issues, young engineers, especially women, should be given reserved seats in the governing body to address their problems,” Sarwar concluded.
The press conference shed light on the urgent need for reform within the Pakistan Engineering Council, calling for immediate action to rectify these deep-seated issues.
