PNSC chairman’s dual charge holding goes un-noticed

Law enforcement agencies including National Accountability Bureau (NAB) yet not have taken any notice of the dual charge holding by Rizwan Ahmed a BS-22 officer belonging to Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS). He is holding the charge of Chairman PNSC, national flag carrier since December 2017 in addition to new duties as Federal Secretary, Ministry of Maritime Affairs from April 2019 appointed by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

According to informed sources Rizwan Ahmed Secretary Maritime Affairs being Chairman PNSC travels from Islamabad to Karachi every Friday and goes back to Islamabad on Monday. The return air ticket costs about Rs 40,000/- and Pakistan National Shipping Corporation is footing the bill in addition to his Rs 500,000/- monthly salary plus other perks too. This is the reason why he is still keeping dual charge of PNSC that tantamount the systematic corruption.

It is alleged by shipping circles that as Chairman Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), Rizwan Ahmed purchased two South Korean-built tanker ships, MT Bolan and MT Khairpur in January 2019 by paying $4.3 million (PKR 60 crores) above the market price. Therefore, he has been rewarded by appointing at another lucrative post as Secretary Maritime Affairs by authorities in Islamabad. According to reports the ships pair was valued at $56.4 million while the PNSC had forked out $60.7 million for 2012 and 2013 built vessels.

Rizwan received early education at Cadet College Petaro and completed his Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics) from Dawood University of Engineering and Technology. He then graduated from Harvard University with a two-year master's degree in Public Administration.

As career bureaucrat he joined Pakistan Civil Service in 1988. Under the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Rizwan Ahmed served as chairman of Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) from 2013 to 2017, becoming the second longest-serving chairman in the history of TCP. He remained Managing Director – Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, Government of Sindh.

He also served as Sindh provincial Secretary for Health and as last deputy commissioner of Hyderabad District before the commissionerate system was abolished during military ruler General Pervez Musharraf’s administration. Rizwan Ahmed was a member of the Directing Staff in the National Institute of Management in Karachi, and a teaching fellow at Harvard Kennedy School for Financial Management.

Rizwan Ahmed served as managing director of Pakistan Security Printing Corporation during caretaker government of Mir Hazar Khan Khoso. He was given the responsibility to print ballot papers for 2013 general elections, and many irregularities were allegedly reported in printing extra ballot papers under his chairmanship.

-Nasir Mahmood