Update: PTA’s official statement has been added to the article.
The national exchequer suffered a huge loss due to the illegal promotions of officers in the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
According to the document available with ProPakistani, during 2018, 2019 and 2020 unauthorized promotion of 13 officers by the PTA caused a loss of Rs. 28.084 million to the authority in the term of unjustified payment of pay and allowances.
According to the audit document, 12 contractual employees were regularized by PTA management on 10th November 2017 and 18th October 2018. These officers were promoted to Director General (SEG-1), Director (EG-IV), and Deputy Director (EG-III) on the recommendations of the departmental promotion committee in July 2020.
According to the Audit, the departmental promotion committee promoted these 12 officers to the next grade before completing 3 to 4 years of service in their respective grade (as prescribed in PTA Employees Service Regulations 2008) which is against the law. These unauthorized promotions resulted in an overpayment of Rs. 9,667,911 on account of salaries and perks to these officers.
According to the audit document, there has been a loss of Rs. 18,416,348 to the national exchequer due to the unauthorized promotion of another officer. The officer was appointed as Assistant Director (HR) in 2005 on a false affidavit of holding an MBA degree.
The officer completed his MBA degree in 2007 and was promoted to Deputy Director (HR) in 2009 and Director in 2020. According to the audit, the officer was promoted whose appointment was disputed and whose case was pending in the Islamabad High Court. The PTA has suffered a loss of more than 18 million due to the illegal appointment and promotion of this officer and the salary and benefits given to him.
According to the audit report, in its reply, PTA said that the promotion of officers was under PTA Employees Service Regulations 2008 upon the recommendations made by the departmental promotion committee.
According to the Audit report, the Auditor General rejected the PTA reply as officers were promoted before the completion of the required length of service after regularization. The Audit recommended an investigation of the matter and fixation of responsibility.
Here is PTA’s official statement on the matter.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) clarifies that Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act 1996 empowers the Authority to make regulations for its employees. Based on the aforementioned legal framework, the length of service of all eligible employees is considered/calculated from the date of their initial appointment to the respective position in PTA.
The primary parameter for an employee to become eligible and to be considered for promotion is service along with other criteria given as provided in the Employees Service Regulations. All those employees who were promoted had rendered a number of years of exceptional service to the Authority which was duly acknowledged by the DPC for their promotion to the next grade.
The Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) follows all the formalities/procedures and makes recommendations in accordance with the relevant provision of Employees Service Regulations. Hence, all the promotions are made exclusively in accordance with the regulation and no irregularity has ever been made in the promotions process.
The facts narrated above were also shared with the Audit Authorities in response to the Audit objection raised in the year 2021 (approximately 18 months ago). This issue will be highlighted before the appropriate forums of the Departmental Audit Committee (DAC) and Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
