By Arman Yousuf
Islamabad, May 3, 2025: The Ministry of National Food Security has initiated the process to appoint a new Chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), officially declaring the position vacant following the controversial departure of Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali.
Despite court orders and instructions from the Prime Minister to vacate his post, Dr. Ghulam Ali had refused to step down. Instead of facing legal proceedings in court and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over alleged irregularities, he proceeded on a three-month leave. In response, the Ministry has now moved forward with plans to fill the vacant position.
According to a recently issued notification, the Ministry has approved the draft advertisement for the new Chairman’s appointment. The advertisement will be published in all leading national newspapers—both in Urdu and English—and directives have been issued to upload it on the National Job Portal (NJP) and PARC’s own website. A focal person has also been designated within PARC to coordinate with the NJP for the recruitment process.
Dr. Ghulam Ali was originally appointed in 2022 for a two-year term. However, he continued in office for a third year on the basis of a disputed notification. The Islamabad High Court, under Justice Babar Sattar, recently ruled his continued tenure illegal and ordered his immediate removal and the appointment of a new chairman.
In addition to the court ruling, Dr. Ghulam Ali is under scrutiny for alleged illegal recruitments. The PAC has summoned him on May 6 and has warned of referring the case to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in case of non-compliance. Audit officials informed the PAC that serious violations of recruitment laws had taken place, including breaches of merit. Committee member Aamir Dogar further revealed that many of those appointed were relatives of Dr. Ghulam Ali and other senior PARC officials.
