Saturday, November 6

Tenure extension as per ‘pleasure’

The Higher Education Department on Wednesday issued a ‘rare’ notification aimed at granting extension to Controller Examinations Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Lahore Manzoor-ul-Hassan Niazi, but this has not been added anywhere in the six-line order.
“In continuation of this department’s letter of even dated 27-10-2007, the tenure of Manzoor-ul-Hassan Niazi (BS-18) as Controller of Examinations BISE Lahore will expire on 27-10-2010. Secretary Higher Education/Controlling Authority of BISEs in Punjab has been pleased to allow him to continue working as Controller of Examinations till further orders/during the pleasure of Controlling Authority,” reads the order, which has been drafted in such a manner that it communicates extension in the tenure of Niazi while he had been allowed to continue ‘till further orders’.
Secondly, the last phrase of the order communicates the intention only, but nothing as such tangible since it states, “during the pleasure of Controlling Authority”. The Authority in this regard is Secretary HED, and newly-posted Haseeb Ather was not available to offer comments.
A senior officer of the Department was of the considered opinion that the order must have defined the period for which the extension was being granted. “In case of extension, the period has to be defined for which the order issuing Authority should be made responsible,” he said, while maintaining that the extension should have been as per certain rules, which were mentioned in any such order. “It is difficult to figure out true meanings of ‘during the pleasure of Controlling Authority’. This imparts an impression – which can be certainly contradicted – that the order issuing Authority is doing so as per his personal liking, and as long as he wishes, Niazi will stay put; otherwise he will be sent home. Such an order is never a hallmark of any efficient administration since it has to work as per certain rules and regulations,” observed the officer. He also smelled a rat in the order though he could not pinpoint it as such.
He was also of the view that the Authority was issuing orders on the same day of Niazi’s expiry of tenure. “At least one should be in a position to see such eventualities, which can be comprehended by a commoner even. So, a competent person should have been nominated for this slot at least three days prior to the expiry of tenure instead of making such a move, which always dampens spirits of those aspiring to reach higher posts during their careers. This seems to be part of hit and trial method,” opined the officer.

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