PM Khan directs withdrawal of Zartaj Gul's letter to NACTA over sister's appointment

Yesterday, the federal government appointed Shabnam Gul as the director of NACTA for three years.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Special Assistant to Prime Minister (PM) Naeemul Haque took to Twitter on Sunday to disclose that PM Imran Khan has directed Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul to withdraw her letter to the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) for the appointment of her sister as the director of the NACTA.

In a post, Haque stated, “The PM has directed that Zartaj Gul should withdraw her letter written to NACTA regarding the appointment of her sister. This was against the ethics of PTI which has always opposed nepotism. No one in the PTI govt is can promote their relatives/friends by using their positions.”

According to a NACTA notification, "The services of Ms Shabnam Gul, Assistant Professor, Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) are required for her posting against an available vacant post of Director (BS-19) in NACTA in Islamabad on a deputation basis."

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir has withdrawn a letter penned to the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Nacta) for the appointment of her sister Shabnam Gul. She denied nepotism, adding that she has also asked the authorities to investigate the matter properly. 

Yesterday, the federal government appointed Shabnam Gul as the director of NACTA for three years – the move which was widely criticised on the social media.

Shabnam had been working as an assistant professor at the Lahore College for Women University and sent to NACTA as a Grade-19 officer on deputation.

According to Dunya News, an emergency meeting of NACTA’s committee was requested to convene over Shabnam Gul’s appointment as the new director.

Zartaj Gul telephoned Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan for her sister’s appointment and subsequently wrote a letter to him.

Dunya News received the official copy of the letter written by the Principal Staff Officer Sami-ul-Haq which stated that he was directed to refer the telephonic conversation Zartaj Gul made to Azam Suleman regarding her sister’s appointment in NACTA.

After the interior secretary received the letter on Feb 27, the NACTA was ordered to follow rules and policies according to the law. The minister for climate change asserted that her sister has a PhD in terrorism so she could be considered for the post.

As per the sources, the interior ministry was of the view that it was the duty of the NACTA to verify her PhD.

Sources further informed the media that Shabnam took admission in a university to pursue PhD in Political Science, and even after a period of nine years, she has not yet completed her degree.

Zartaj Gul sent Shabnam’s clearance from the Lahore College for Women University to the PM over the matter.

PM Khan was informed in the text message that terrorism is Shabnam’s subject so she could be appointed as NACTA director under the law and policy whereas Shabnam refused to comment on the matter.

The interior ministry stated that 12 federal and provincial officers applied for the post which included BS-17 to BS-19 grade officers.

According to NACTA’s spokesperson, a three-member committee was formed for the selection of the director.

The committee conducted the interview on May 14 for the posts of assistant director, deputy director and the director.

Committee further sent a list of selected six names to the establishment division. Shabnam was included among other candidates in the list.

According to the spokesperson, Shabnam was selected on the merit as she had a PhD in terrorism and written many articles on extremism and terrorism. "Shabnam Gul was one of the selected candidates. The committee recommended her purely on merit for posting against one of the vacant posts of directors as she is already working in BS-19,” he clarified.

A country wide criticism took place on social media questioning her deputation on which Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry tweeted, "Shabnam Gul has "PhD in terrorism and FATA, and selected after interviews, as far my job as Minister of Science and Technology is concerned, I am a politician and ministries are held by politicians not technos, shows your little insight into the democratic system".