The Mess That is the Port Qasim Authority

By Imdad Soomro –

A shocking tale of corruption and mismanagement within the port

Recently the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) management fired more than 50 workers who had been absent from duty since the start of the ongoing targeted operation in Karachi. It is believed that these employees who were appointed by the previous two governments were involved in criminal activities including targeted killings, and had left their duties fearing arrest by law enforcement authorities.

The Sindh government’s home department had directed the PQA management to share details of its employees so that it could investigate the possibility of their involvement in certain crimes; the letter requesting these details was written following information from intelligence agencies that some of the PQA employees were involved in criminal activities.

It is worth noting here that the PQA management also admitted before the Supreme Court that some of its employees had been found to be involved in heinous crimes including targeted killings. The names of those employees found involved in criminal activities and also arrested by the law enforcement authorites were mentioned in a report submitted before the apex court by the management of PQA.

But due to the backing of a political party in Karachi, the management of the PQA is hesitant to take proper action against these criminals. This negligence on the part of the management has put this highly sensitive organization in danger.

Apart from this matter, the PQA, which is the economic backbone of this country, and the second largest deep sea industrial-cum-commercial port remained under discussion for corruption, mismanagement, fraudulent sale of prime lands, political and illegal appointments, fake employment, and many other scams.

The PQA, which plays a vital role in ensuring the prosperity of Pakistan, has become a gold mine for corrupt officials. It has also turned into an employment exchange for political workers, even for those involved in criminal activities.

The Port Qasim Authority was established through an act of parliament on June 29, 1973, and is the second deep sea industrial-cum-commercial port operating under landlord concept. The Port is situated in the Indus delta region at a distance of 28 nautical miles south-east of Karachi. The PQA is an eco-friendly, located on a trade route in the Arabian Gulf. The port currently caters for more than 40% of the seaborne trade requirements of the country.

A case of fraud in the sale of prime land by the management of PQA to the DHA was detected during the proceedings of a case in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. It was declared to be the biggest fraud in the history of Pakistan.

During the proceedings of the case in the Supreme Court when aspects relating to the law and order situation of Karachi came under discussion it was disclosed that the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) sold more than 1000 acres of valuable land on the Karachi coast belonging to the Sindh Government to the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) at the rate of Rs2 and Rs2.5 per square metre.

The Sindh government claimed ownership of land and pleaded that the federal institution had no right to dispose of the land. The Sindh government did not receive a single penny in the bargain.

The land was disposed of in 2003 and 2005. If calculated at the rate of Rs10,000 per sq yard which was the minimum price prevalent at that time, 8,826,280 square yards (1,600 acres) of land could have fetched more than Rs88 billion; instead of which it was sold at just Rs 15 million .

The Sindh Government has requested the Supreme Court to order legal proceedings against the administration of the KPT and the PQA and the officers of the Revenue Department of Sindh who were responsible, so that those who have fraudulently pocketed billions can be brought to book.

Well placed sources in the PQA have said that the case disclosed before the Supreme Court is just the tip of iceberg, that fraud concerning industrial plots and port land by this authority is very common. “By changing the category of plots several precious industrial plots have been purchased by politicians and officers of the PQA at extremely low prices,” said a source, further claiming that the corrupt mafia influencing its management since the last two governments had caused heavy losses of trillions of rupees to the national exchequer, and there was a need of an impartial inquiry by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Port Qasim Authority management is reluctant to fire the over one thousand illegal employees appointed in the last five years, despite declaring them as illegal and unlawful before a three-member bench of the Supreme Court.

These employees were appointed from only two districts of Karachi, voiding the rights granted by quota to the other provinces, and other districts of Sindh. Also, no proper security clearance was observed which is mandatory for employment in a sensitive organization like PQA.

It is also pertinent to mention here that the PQA’s name came under discussion several times in the matter of the disappearance of NATO arms containers.

The PQA management constituted a committee to scrutinize the matter of illegal appointees. This committee was headed by an officer whose own employment was declared illegal by the PQA management before the Supreme Court on December 4, 2013, in yet another case of illegal appointments and promotion in the PQA during the last five years.

Now an officer Director General Administration Brig (retd) Kamran Jalil who was himself illegally appointed has to decide the illegal appointments and promotions including his own employment and promotion.

The D G Administration Brig (retd) Jalil, was appointed as Director Human Resources on January 10, 2013 despite the fact that he was in the active service of the Pakistan Army and on Leave Preparatory to Retirement (LPR). He concealed the fact and obtained a one month leave on the day of his appointment in PQA.

During the meantime, he got retirement from the Army and joined his duties back in PQT as retired Brigadier. Jalil’s appointment was the violation of Supreme Court and Sindh Court orders, as Supreme Court seizing with the case of illegal appointments in PQA had restrained for any further appointments on the other hand Sindh High Court on December 11, 2012 had directed the PQA management to fill the said post along with two other posts of Directors through promotions of senior officers of Authority. The said order of SHC was passed on a Constitutional Petition of Faqeer Muhammad Bezinjo officer of Authority.

It is worth noting that despite directives from the Sindh High Court and an already existing ban on appointments by the Supreme Court on fresh appointments, two other officers Brig (retd) Furqan Ali Khan and Commander (retd) Mansoob Ali Khan were appointed as directors.

A comprehensive response on behalf of the Port Qasim Authority and the Federation of Pakistan in the illegal appointments case was submitted by their Lawyers Hafiz S. A. Rehman and Mahar Khan Malik on December 4, 2013, declaring over one thousand employees between grades 2 to 21 illegal including these three retired army officers.

According to the response the management of the PQA admitted that more than one thousand employees including 85 officers between grades 17 to 21 were illegally appointed. They did not possess the requisite qualifications and experience, and many of them also possessed fake documentation. The response also disclosed the names of those employees discovered in criminal activities, including the targeted killings in Karachi and arrested by the law enforcement agencies.

In the response, it was also declared that all the appointments were made on the directions of then Minister of Ports and Shipping, and that all the appointments were made from only two districts of Karachi. The reserve quota of other provinces, and the quota of the remaining districts of Sindh province were also violated. In that reply the PQA declared the 891 employees illegal and unlawful, and requested the Supreme Court to declare them illegal and unlawful.

Another officer of the PQA, Noman Khan who was declared as illegal before the Supreme Court by the management of PQA still possessed the post of Director General Planning and Development of the Authority.

Noman Khan was appointed in 2007 to the post of Instructor grade 18 in the Administration Department. He possessed a Master of Arts while the required qualification for the post of Instructor in the PQA is Master of Science in the Merchant Navy. Moreover the person appointed to the post must be a senior Deck Officer as he has to train other Deck Officers.

Of interest in the appointment of Noman Khan were the remarks of the head of the selection committee, Director General Administration Shujat Abbas, that the candidate (NomanKhan) is a highly qualified person as he appeared twice in the Central Superior Service (CSS) examination but could not be selected.

After the passage of 3 weeks the management of the PQA created the post of Manager Welfare grade 19 in the Administration Department and advertised it. Noman Khan applied and was selected immediately after the passage of only one week. He was promoted to the important post of Director Human Resources, a grade 20 position, without having completed the required length of service, and without the requisite qualifications and experience. He was also given charge of Industrial Management another important department dealing with the allotment of residential, commercial and industrial land of the PQA. Though Noman Khan’s promotions were challenged in the Sindh High Court by another officer of the Authority Tariq Iqbal Yousfi he was again promoted, this time to grade 21 as Director General, Planning and Development

The appointment of Noman Khan is not the only case of illegal appointments within the PQA. The Supreme Court is hearing a case of more than 1100 illegal appointments made in the previous two governments under the MQM leader Babar Ghouri.

There is a need of a comprehensive and impartial inquiry into all matters of the PQA to save this important and sensitive organization of this country.

Despite repeated attempts to contact him, PQA Chairman Agha Jan Akhtar could not be approached as he neither attended calls nor responded to messages sent on his cell. When contacted, Saqib Bhatti, Secretary PQA said that no PQA employee had been found indulged in criminal activities. Defending appointments of Kamran Jalil and Noman Khan, Bhatti said that they had been appointed according to rules and regulations and no competent authority had yet declared their appointments as illegal.

On land scam, Saqib Bhatti said that the PQA management had not sold any land to Defence Housing Authority at throwaway price. “Rather the said land was taken from us at gunpoint,” he claimed.

The writer is a journalist based in Karachi