Ministry of Federal Education & Profession Training ordered on Wednesday for repatriation of Hasnat Qureshi to his parent department, following the development of two positions – the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) director general’s and Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) chairperson being vacant. Hasnat was serving as PEIRA chairman apart from FDE DG. The ministry asked Hasnat to go back to his actual department of audit and accounts. The ministry has not given charge for the posts to any alternate official. Moreover, as per rules, to get approval from Prime Minister Imran Khan for such orders is mandatory. However, the sources disclosed, the ministry did not adopt this legal practice. After devolvement of Capital Administration & Development Division into Federal Education Ministry a couple of weeks ago by the incumbent government, functions of both the FDE and PEIRA are also put under supervision of the Federal Education Ministry. As per orders, the ministry did order for repatriation of Hasnat, following with letter from Audit General of Pakistan (AGP). The AGP in the letter written last month asked the ministry formally for taking services of Hasnat back from the education sectors institution. Hasnat is a Grade-20 officer, belonging to custom group of services and was appointed as FDE DG in April 2017 on ad-hoc basis by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The FDE has the mandate to oversee official affairs of 423 public sector educational institutions in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The directorate has no permanent head since December 2016 after retirement of Dr Shahnaz A Riaz on December 10, 2016. The post either has been lying vacant since then or has been filled on ad-hoc basis. The new order of the ministry put FDE totally headless. The officials in the FDE said that the department was passing through several kinds of issues in the absence of a permanent DG, adding that it is very ironic that the temporary head also has been detached putting it in more trouble. According to rules formulated by the Education Ministry in March 1990, the FDE DG shall be appointed by promoting people from within the department. These include serving directors or a principal of a degree college with at least 17 years of teaching or administrative experience. Moreover, SRO-225 states that the DG must have at least 17 years of teaching or administrative service in BS-17 or at least 12 years of service in BS-18 and above or five years in teaching or administrative service in BS-19 in case of direct recruitment. Usually, the FDE appoints a DG on turn basis, alternating between the two categories. Apart from interval induction of Dr Shahnaz Riaz and acting charges of any FDE official during official leave or official assignments of DGs, over six DGs have been replaced from 2013 onwards. They included Amir Ashraf Khawaja, Ali Ahmed Kharal, Moinuddin Wani, Ayesha Farooq and Hasnat himself. Similarly, PEIRA also went into isolation without its head. The organisation was supposed to monitor activities of all private educational institutions in the ICT. According to the prescribed rules, the senior most member of the authority can be its chairperson. While as per seniority, currently, Imtiaz Ali Qureshi is the senior most member of PEIRA. However, the ministry did not handed him over the charge of chairman formally. An official in the ministry, wishing not to be named, said that these are the very key slots and the authorities should appoint a head against these posts on permanent basis. He justified his comment that usually temporary DGs are less bothered to make some policy level changes in their respective departments. Despite repeated attempts, the newly appointed Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood could not be reached for his version. Published in Daily Times, October 11th 2018.