All of sudden dismissal from services of over 60 employees of various cadres on Tuesday in the National Testing Service (NTS), not only wondered to these wretched employees but the news also made them having no option as almost all organizations across the country are stopped new hiring due to COVID-19, Daily Times has learnt reliably. While talking to this scribe more than 10 NTS employees confirmed the news. However, almost all of them requested for their names should be kept in anonymity. Located its head office in the federal capital, the NTS has its 5 regional offices across the country included as Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Abbottabad. The sources disclosed that the NTS authorities made terminations from all regional offices. “The total 64 employees have been sacked”, they added. An official who joined this organization in 2010 as Office Assistant recalled that “my service contract was going to expire on June 30 but I never even thought about such development as continuation or renewal of such contracts of the employees was a routine matter.” He explained that in the beginning of his service, the NTS used to give a 2.5-year contract to its employees, then it decreased to two 2 years, it has been shrunk to 1 year and finally it fixed for 6 months. But, he added, the routine to grant every new 6-month contract has been continuing since last few years and nobody among us never thought that such happening could occur at any stage in the future. When asked about the mention of any reason at the relieving letter, the Office Assistant claimed “nothing specific reason is told in the letter except that your services are expired”, adding that we are even efficiently performing our duties. Another sacked official who served as a Deputy Director in the NTS said that its very cruel decision by the authorities concerned as the whole nation is already passing through a very difficult time due to a novel pandemic. “We are now worried about our survival as hardly one can find a new job at some place these days.”. The DD regretted that instead of granting some sort of relief to the employees, the authorities routed out their basic bread and better too that, he said, is not less than a bomb-shell. Another such employee who is an engineer by profession and has served against different positions for almost 8 years, maintained that the example of such autocratic behavior found not in the world as when the whole world is facing huge ‘power disaster’, while they are stuck with their own small thinking. He said that the decision is unjust, unethical as well as the highest example of non-professionalism. “I personally despondent from the system”, he said in a disappointing tone. The NTS has been functioning without a Chief Operating Officer (CEO) since last June. Rana Riaz who is Director Human Resource is currently serving as Acting CEO on additional charge. When contacted, Rana Riaz confirmed the development. He, however, claimed that all 64 employees were not terminated but relieved over their services contracts expiries. He justified that as the organization has no earning since the last three months due to COVID that’s why we decided not to extend the further contracts of said employees. When contacted another senior reliable official to ask why terminated officials are reluctant to speak on record at the time when they are not more with the organization while they are also terming the move as discriminatory, he said “perhaps they are still with some hope that the administration would review the decision.” According to its website, the NTS is a Not-for-Profit Company Limited by Guarantee- not having a share capital under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance 1984 regulated by SECP. The promoter institution is COMSATS University Islamabad, which nominates the members of NTS. It is a self-sustaining and autonomous organization which works under the directions of the BODs of NTS, who are nominees of CIIT. It claimed that the institute has five different committees consisting of relevant experts. Besides, it holds institutional capacity of 250 full time employees, 10,000 highly trained personnel for test proctoring. While capable of conducting paper-based tests for 300,000 candidates in 68 cities and computer-based tests in 45 cities of Pakistan simultaneously. Moreover, the350 institutions are on panel as test centers of this organization.