By Commerce Reporter
LAHORE: The future of Punjab Revenue Authority’s (PRA) Grade-19 Director IT, hangs in the balance as his job contract expired on May 31, 2025, and the investigation into his initial appointment remains incomplete.
Read also: PRA calls meeting to confirm IT officers, contract extension of senior official under scrutiny
Sources revealed that a fact-finding committee, formed on February 6, 2025, under the leadership of Director (Policy) Ayesha Ranjha, has yet to submit its final report.
The committee, tasked with examining the director’s educational credentials and professional experience, has held multiple meetings, even daily sessions last week, but could not reach a conclusion.
The PRA Director IT was initially hired in 2016 under a 2015 job advertisement that required a Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related field.
However, he holds a BS in Electrical Engineering, raising eligibility concerns.
Additionally, the advertised position required 7–10 years of relevant experience, including three years as a programmer — qualifications reportedly not met at the time.
Earlier, a high-level PRA committee reviewing his regularization noted that his initial hiring required further scrutiny.
Despite this, he continued to serve in a powerful role, including holding the additional charge of Director Administration.
In January 2025, PRA formed a new committee after the previous head, Commissioner Gujranwala, stepped down due to other commitments. The current committee includes senior officers from Multan and PRA Headquarters.
While the committee was asked to submit its findings within 14 days, delays have persisted.
According to sources, no formal extension meeting has been held, nor has an official notification for contract renewal been issued. Legally, this suggests that the IT Director is no longer in service with PRA, although his duties reportedly remain uninterrupted — allegedly due to strong bureaucratic connections.
PRA’s spokesperson confirmed that the inquiry report has yet to be received, and no decision on contract renewal has been taken. This situation marks a rare case in Punjab’s bureaucracy, where questions regarding a senior officer’s qualification and experience surface nearly a decade after their appointment.
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