ISLAMABAD: The federal government has initiated the process of appointing a new chairman for the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), following legal disputes and mounting criticism over administrative and research performance under the current leadership.
The move comes after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently ordered the removal of Chairman Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali, citing poor performance. The acting charge has since been assigned to a senior PARC official. Despite being removed earlier by the Islamabad High Court, Dr Ali had secured a stay order from a division bench, which is expected to hear the case on Monday.
In a letter issued to PARC management, the Ministry of National Food Security directed the council to advertise the position to find a new chairman. The ministry’s decision follows widespread criticism of PARC’s limited output in developing new crop varieties and concerns over its overall research contributions.
Under a broader rightsizing initiative, the federal cabinet has ordered a performance audit of the council, which will examine the number of new varieties introduced by PARC in recent years and assess any international recognition for its research efforts.
Meanwhile, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has expressed serious concerns over administrative and financial irregularities within PARC and the Ministry of National Food Security. Of particular concern are 332 alleged illegal appointments, where only 164 posts were officially advertised, according to audit officials.
During a PAC meeting, the acting PARC chairman appeared in place of Dr Ali, who is reportedly on a three-month leave. However, PAC members alleged the leave was being used as a shield to avoid scrutiny. “The chairman has been removed to protect him from accountability,” remarked MNA Aamir Dogar.
Audit officials also highlighted the absence of domicile certificates for the appointees. While the acting chairman claimed that 206 of the recruits were scientists hired on merit, PAC members questioned the transparency of the process.
In light of the findings, PAC has discussed referring Dr Ali’s case to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for formal investigation. The committee has summoned him to appear on May 6 and warned that failure to justify the appointments could lead to a NAB referral.
