ISLAMABAD: Even after 10 months, the information ministry failed to redress violations committed in foreign postings of its officers by the previous PPP government.

During the last days in power, the then Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on March 14, 2013, approved the postings of 15 ministry officers in foreign missions of the country as press ministers, counsellors and attaches.

Since obvious breaches were committed in the selection process, the PML-N soon after coming to power stopped the chosen officers from proceeding abroad.

Information Minister Senator Pervez Rashid had decided to review the whole selection process.

However, in a recent summary sent to the prime minister office, the information ministry only sought de-notification of four of these appointments.

The rest of them have been recommended to go ahead with their earlier selection.

Surprisingly, in the summary (copy available with Dawn), it has been accepted that `certain deviations from the prescribed criteria for the selection of press officers`were made by the previous government.

It said ministry officials selected for missions in UK (Shafgat Jalil), New York (Masood Anwar), Washington (Dr Najeeb Khan) and Tehran (Mohammad Asim) were picked despite the fact that they didn`t complete their mandatory three-year stay in Pakistan since their last foreign posting.

Second deviation, according to the summary, was the selection of senior officers against positions meant for junior officers in New York (Masood Anwar), Brussels (Nasir Jamal), Paris (Shiraz Latif), Ankara (Ambreen Gul) and Kuwait (Mohammad Asim).

The summary recommended fresh selection process for the postings in Brussels, Paris, Ankara and Kuwait since the ministry of finance had refused to upgrade these positions.

Interestingly, for an officer, who was appointed in New York and fell in the same category of appointments where senior officers were chosen against junior positions, the ministry has sought an entirely different treatment.

The officer left for New York before the present government could stop him.

The ministry in the summary said: `The case of Masood Anwar,who is a grade-20 officer and was selected for New York against the lower grade position, needs further examination.

On the directive of the then Prime Minister, he was allowed by the ministry to proceed to New York. As the finance division did not upgrade the post, a vacant BPS-20 post from London was transferred for a period of three months on a temporary basis in order to pay the salary to the officer.

Currently, the officer is not receiving salary and allowances. Now, there are two options: either he may be de-notified with others whose positions have not been upgraded or he may be allowed to work continue in New York till April 30.

And to facilitate the payment of salary to the officer, a vacant post of BS-20 from London be transferred till April 30, and his retention on the same post be decided on the basis of his performance recommendation from the concerned ambassador.

Explaining the special treatment for Mr Anwar, an information ministry official claimed that Ambassador to US Jalil Abbas Jilani was making special efforts for his retention in New York.

In case of officers who didn`t qualify for the selection because of their three-year mandatory servicebetween two foreign postings, the ministry has literally presented a strange argument.

It said since in the meanwhile they have fulfilled this condition, they be allowed to travel abroad.

One of the ministry officials, who had challenged the selection process in the court, said it was strange that the government, which had been clamouring for transparency in positing and transfer and even moved the Supreme Court while in opposition, was sanctioning violations committed by the previous government.

Young officers of the ministry, who had gone to the court against the selection process, said they only wanted fair dealings because a number of selected officials had repeatedly served in foreign missions in the past. On the other hand, there are many who continue to wait for such postings.

Talking to Dawn, Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid said since the appointments were approved by the then prime minister, the present government could hardly do anything.

`If we stop someone who as of today fulfilled the criterion, he/she will go to the court and an endless litigation will start. We have reviewed the selection process to the extent it can be done,` he said.