Daily Times

Running over 5,000 store outlets across the country, the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) of Pakistan has been functioning on ad hoc basis as many positions in the corporation, including some key positions, are filled on provisional basis whereas the authorities concerned are least bothered to settle this laxity. Daily Times has learnt reliably that some key administrative posts in the USC remained vacant for years and the corporation’s performance was being impacted due to this anomaly.

As per available information, currently General Manager Human Resources and Administration (GM HR-A) is vacant from the last few years, while the authorities concerned have given this charge to Brigadier (retd) Hamid Usman on additional basis along with his own actual duty. He was appointed as Company Secretary in basic Pay Scale (BPS-19) in November 2019 on contract basis. The post was properly advertised in the national press. As the post was GM HR-A remains vacant and Usman holds a better working profile as an administrator with different organizations in the past, the authorities concerned gave him additional charge of GM HR-A on temporary basis. Besides these two slots, he also continued to work as GM Public Relation (PR) of USC for a short period in the past but soon he had to leave the charge of GM PR and now Usman is limited to only two aforementioned charges: GM HR-A and Company Secretary.

The sources said that Usman was hired on a fixed market based salary. However, the USC’s board raised his salary to Rs400,000 along with approval of some arrears.

Moreover, the post of GM PR is also vacant as Inayat Ullah Dolla holds the additional charge of this slot. Dolla is the Senior General Manager Merchandising and Branding in the Corporation actually.

Likewise the post of additional GM legal also remains vacant and filled by Momina Khayal. She was appointed as Manager Legal in BPS 18 and but now holds the additional charge of Additional General Manager, Legal which is equivalent to BPS-19. Interestingly, the sources added, Khayal also withdraws a non-practicing allowance of Rs50,000 for not doing legal practice. Previously, she also held additional charge of Manager PR. She has a team of legal officers, superintendents and focal persons in her legal team for legal assistance.

Sardar Muhammad Khan and Ishfaq Malik, is another group of two, who has their own influential lobbying within department, the sources went on saying, adding that they were regular employees of the USC serving as GM Stores Operations and GM Discipline and Inquiry respectively. Both of these employees had resigned in the past after they had been proved guilty in corruption allegations.

“The then MD Murtaza didn’t send these resignations to the USC’s board which was competent authority to accept or reject the resignations,” said a senior official of the USC while wishing anonymity.

Due to this, he recalled, the resignations remained unapproved and the ultimate benefit was attained by both officials as they managed to negotiate with the high-ups in the Ministry of Industries and Production while they finally the both officials against their respective positions.

“It was a big and intentional failure of the administration that could not get an official nod of these resignations,” he regretted.

The PTI-led government planned to hire some young educated staffers against different slots. Subsequent to this plan, the USC administration hired one HR manager, two HROs, one Manager Supply chain, one legal manager, one legal officer and one Public Relations Officer. As per sources, most of these young bloods had quit their jobs as they were compelled towards mala fide practices of the USC administration, adding that they were mentally tortured by some strong and allegedly corrupt lobbies at the USC. These lobbies, the sources further added, also have good terms with high-ups including USC employees’ unions with all relevant effective segments.

Brigadier (retd) Usman told Daily Times that since his joining at USC he has tried his best to work for the betterment of the organization. “While utilizing all my past experience I tried given my all-out effort and energy to upgrade the USC,” he said, adding that many reforms took place in his tenure.

“Due to my sincere commitment I never spared anyone in term of performance which also proved a sin for me as some alleged corrupt elements stood against me when their interest hurt due to some my merit based decisions,” he claimed, adding that to serve with sincerity as among his fundamental responsibility that, he reaffirmed, would not be surrender at any cost. Momina Khayal told this scribe that many structural changes are required in the corporation. However, she claimed “within available capacity, we are trying to perform as best as it could be in public interest,” hoping that vacant positions would also be filled very soon.