PIFD Lahore quota imbalance alarms PAC as Punjab shown 118 seats above share

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) took serious notice of a quota imbalance in recruitment at the Pakistan

Islamabad: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) took serious notice of a quota imbalance in recruitment at the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD) Lahore. Officials informed the committee that Punjab held 118 seats above its quota, while Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and GB/AJK were short of their due representation.

The matter became controversial after the audit raised objections over appointments made without properly observing provincial and regional quota requirements. Members expressed concern that such hiring practices can affect the rights of candidates from other provinces.

The 47th meeting of the Public Accounts Committee was held under the acting chairmanship of Syed Naveed Qamar. During the meeting, audit para 10.5.12 related to the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design Lahore was taken up. According to the formal audit brief, PIFD appointed 28 employees, both regular and contract, during 2023-2024.

The audit noted that these appointments included lecturers, teaching associates, a deputy director, security guard, assistant treasurer, technicians, an administrator, attendants and a mali. Audit observed that the appointments disregarded provincial, regional, and gender quota requirements.

The audit said this was against Federal Government instructions and made the appointments irregular and unauthorized. Officials told the committee that PIFD had 388 total sanctioned posts. Out of these, 320 posts had been filled while 68 posts were still vacant.

The committee was informed that Punjab had 118 employees above its quota. It was further informed that Sindh had a deficit of 58 posts, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had a deficit of 28 posts, Balochistan had a deficit of 17 posts, and Gilgit-Baltistan/AJK had a deficit of 5 posts.

The Ministry informed the committee that a plan had been prepared to fill the 68 vacant posts by excluding Punjab, so that the shortage of other provinces could be reduced. Officials said the Ministry would monitor the process to ensure quota balance in future recruitments.

During the discussion, a member questioned why the quota violation happened in the first place. The member observed that such problems appear in many institutions, where authorities allegedly prefer candidates from their own areas or surroundings.

The member said this practice affects the rights of people from other provinces and regions. The Vice Chancellor of PIFD tried to explain the legal position and referred to the October 2014 notification. However, the chairman stated the issue had already been discussed and the committee was now focused on rectification.

The chairman said he did not want to restart the old debate and wanted implementation of the corrective plan. The Vice Chancellor informed the committee that implementation details had been shared with auditors on May 21, 2026. The chairman made it clear that implementation was mandatory.

Earlier, PIFD had claimed before the Departmental Accounts Committee that posts had been advertised according to quota, but no candidates from other provinces had applied. However, the DAC was not satisfied and ordered a fact finding inquiry at the Ministry level.

The PAC had also observed that the distribution was disturbed and directed the Principal Accounting Officer to rationalize the imbalance in future recruitment. The matter now depends on strictly implementing the roadmap prepared for future hiring. The committee’s direction means PIFD Lahore must fill vacant posts in a way that gives under-represented provinces and regions their proper share.