Illegal appointments unearthed in science ministry's dept.

ISLAMABAD -- An inquiry has unearthed illegal appointments and rule violations in the National Metrology Institute of Pakistan (NMIP), the apex body for metrology - or the scientific study of measurement.

An inquiry report submitted to the secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, which oversees the NMIP, has suggested criminal proceedings through the FIA against Fozia Khan, the acting director general of the Metrology Institute, and others on the charges of forgery, fabrication, destroying evidence and causing an unlawful loss to the state.

Although the inquiry report was submitted to the ministry in September last year, no action has been taken so far.

The report, seen by Dawn, has found irregularities and forgery by the NMIP in hiring employees in November 2021. It has also found the number of posts was increased without permission and above the sanctioned strength of the Metrology Institute.

The inquiry committee was headed by a former joint secretary of the science ministry, Hassan Ali Khan Laghari.

Formerly called the National Physical and Standards Laboratory (NPSL), the department's name was changed to the National Metrology Institute of Pakistan after approval of the National Quality Policy 2021.

It was established in 1974 as a development project of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR). In 1983, it started functioning at its present premises in Islamabad as a unit of the PCSIR.

The report has found that 42 posts were advertised for grades 1 to 15, but the institute recruited 66 employees.

The committee particularly highlighted the case of Saad Hassan, who was...