Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Oil and Gas Regularity Authority (OGRA) Chairperson Uzma Adil is going to induct her crony and breach the laws and regulation of the authority, a well placed source told Daily Times.

Uzma Adil had also served as managing director Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited before joining OGRA as its chairman and she was in the good book of the petroleum ministry officials and Pakistan Muslim League N stalwarts who obliged her. She was promoted to MD SNGPL when former MD Arif refused to oblige the government in a multi-billion gas pipeline project.

A few days ago, Uzma Adil advertised a senior executive director media post in the press in an opaque manner and sought an application from the aspirants through the post, not showing the identity of OGRA. The document pertaining to OGRA services rules show that the post of senior executive director OGRA would be filled by promoting the competent officer adopting merit policy and competitiveness as enshrined in the laws concerned.

A unique precedent could be created in OGRA when a close friend of Uzma Adil would be offered the post of Senior Executive Director on a direct basis at the cost of deserving and competent officers hoping to be promoted to an upper grade. The document shows that dozens people persons are serving on the post of senior executive director in OGRA and all these officers were promoted to this slot. None of them were inducted on a direct basis.

It is pertinent to mention here that a new post of senior executive director is being created in OGRA where a media consultant is already working, although the appointment of media consultant was challenged in Islamabad High Court IHC. OGRA spokesman Afzal Bajwa told Daily Times that OGRA authority is competent to appoint any person on any post and to modify the rules.

He also admitted that the senior executive director post had been advertised in the press and was being filled by a fresh candidate. In the past, a senior executive director post was filled by promoting the officer while adopting a merit and competitiveness policy.

OGRA has regularly been plagued by the malpractice of its functionaries who are involved in multi billion rupee corruption scams now being adjudicated in different courts of the country. The Supreme Court had already directed OGRA authority to discharge their service according to laws and had also ordered its chairman to cleanse the organisation from corrupt mafia.