ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body on Wednesday directed the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) to present a comprehensive report before it with respect to the hiring authority responsible for making and approving appointments in the PARC.
The committee, which met with Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan, discussed in detail the recruitment process for 230 vacant posts at the PARC.
However, the meeting deferred the main agenda item related to details of factors identified for Pakistan’s low per-acre yield of grain and rice compared to other countries in the region, the steps taken by the government in the last two years to bridge the gap between the actual and potential rice production in the country, as we well, as the measures taken by the government in the last two years to bridge the gap between the actual and potential wheat production in the country moved Senator Shahadat Awan due to the absence of the Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, and the Secretary.
A senior PARC official said that all 230 positions were advertised in national newspapers, as well as, through the PARC official website. The test for recruitment was conducted through a third party, Candidates Testing Service (CTS), he said, adding that the top five candidates for each post were shortlisted for interviews.
He further said that so far, the PARC has issued appointment letters to 125 candidates, and letters to 105 candidates have not been issued.
Senator Poonjo Bheel alleged that the PARC had violated Article 38 (g) of the Constitution by failing to ensure equitable representation under the provincial quota system. The appointments have mostly been made from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the candidates from Sindh and other provinces had been deprived of their due share, he said.
Replying to the question raised by the Senator, the official said that four to five candidates from Sindh had already been appointed purely on merit and the PARC had made no discrimination. The interviews for candidates from Sindh and Balochistan would be carried out during the next week, he said.
He said that the PARC has conducted tests in all four provinces in phases for the recruitment of the said positions.
The committee recommended that the results of candidates from all provinces should be announced and published simultaneously instead of on a province-by-province basis to ensure transparency and avoid any perception of discrimination.
The committee also recommended issuing show-cause notices to employees who were found involved in a propaganda campaign against the organisation.
The committee directed the PARC chairman to provide a comprehensive list of the 105 candidates whose interviews are still pending, along with all relevant details.
Senators Rahat Jamali, Shahadat Awan, and Poonjo Bheel, and senior officials of the PARC attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026