KPT Hiring Under PAC Scrutiny

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by MNA Moeen Pirzada, has directed the Ministry of Maritime Affairs to investigate the alleged irregular recruitment of around 1,200 employees at the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and submit a report in coordination with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

According to a news report, the directive followed audit findings that questioned the legality of the appointments and related financial payments. During the meeting, the committee reviewed audit objections concerning recruitment practices and bonus payments at KPT.

Audit officials informed the PAC that nearly 1,200 employees were recruited during previous governments, particularly during the tenure of former federal minister for ports and shipping Babar Ghauri, allegedly without merit, public advertisements or compliance with prescribed recruitment rules.

According to the audit, the disputed appointments resulted in an estimated Rs1.66 billion financial burden on KPT, while an additional Rs3.318 billion was reportedly paid without proper verification of employee records.

Committee members sought complete details of the appointments and questioned their legality. Some lawmakers observed that removing such a large number of employees would be challenging, especially since many had obtained relief from courts after receiving show-cause notices.

The PAC also criticised KPT for failing to provide auditors with complete employee records.

KPT Chairman, retired Rear Admiral Shahid Ahmed, told the committee that employees holding fake or bogus academic degrees had already been dismissed. However, committee members stressed that the first priority should be verifying whether all listed employees actually existed before examining their qualifications.

In a separate audit objection, the committee reviewed the payment of bonuses equal to five basic salaries to KPT employees. Audit officials described the payments as unauthorised, while several lawmakers called for the recovery of the amount, noting that the bonuses exceeded the PAC's earlier directive permitting payment of only one basic salary.