Islamabad: In a move that has sparked outrage among senior health officials and legal experts, the Federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (NHSR&C) has appointed a controversial non-medical individual as Deputy National Coordinator (DNC) for Tuberculosis at the Common Management Unit (CMU), bypassing due process and violating clear court directives as well as apex court guidelines.
The person in question, Ayaz Mustafa, who has previously served as “Director General to Health Minister”—a position that does not exist in the ministry’s official organogram—was quietly posted to the crucial public health role despite not being a registered medical doctor.
Shockingly, his appointment was made even as the Ministry itself had already issued a formal advertisement seeking qualified professionals for both the DNC and National Coordinator posts under a PC-1 approved project aimed at controlling AIDS, TB, and malaria in Pakistan. No wait was observed for the completion of the advertised recruitment process.
The Islamabad High Court, in a series of rulings and intra-court appeals—copies of which are available with vitalsnews—had earlier questioned the legality of appointments made without advertisements and outside prescribed eligibility criteria. In an order dated May 16, 2023, the Court raised serious questions regarding appointments to CMU positions without public advertisement, directing the Secretary of the Ministry to submit a concise report on the recruitment process and legality of the appointments. It specifically noted that all posts under PC-1 Sub Annexure VIII-11 must follow transparent hiring protocols in accordance with the law.
Ayaz Mustafa, a Grade-19 officer from the National Institute of Health’s Health Research Institute (HRI), holds a PhD-level research qualification but is not a medical doctor. Despite this, he was previously appointed to a fictitious Grade-20 post of “Director General to Minister” using Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act—an action senior officials deem illegal since the section cannot be invoked for positions that do not exist in the official framework.
The officially designated Director General Health is Dr. Shabana Saleem.
Documents reviewed by the vitalsnews reveal that Ayaz Mustafa has a tainted service record. He was previously accused of drawing over Rs. 10 million in salaries and benefits from the Sindh Healthcare Commission (SHCC) without obtaining an NOC from his parent department. His irregular tenure at SHCC, where he was posted as Director Anti-Quackery, was flagged in an audit report, and his petition to continue at the post was dismissed by the Sindh High Court, which also imposed a fine for wasting judicial time.
Despite this background, the Health Ministry under the current federal minister Syed Mustafa Kamal went ahead with Mustafa’s reappointment—this time as DNC (TB)—in direct conflict with both public advertisements and judicial instructions. The post of DNC (TB), as per the published advertisement, mandates an MBBS with 10 years of public health experience. Mustafa neither holds the medical qualification nor fulfills the experience criteria, officials confirmed.
“Appointing a non-doctor on such a technical and medically sensitive post not only violates service rules but undermines Pakistan’s commitments to international health partners and public health principles,” a senior ministry official said, requesting anonymity.
Officials are particularly disturbed by the possibility that Mustafa’s new role will allow him to influence upcoming postings and recruitment, especially given that more than two dozen positions in the CMU are now open through the same PC-1. “This appears to be a calculated move to insert political loyalists before the formal hiring process concludes,” one senior officer remarked.
The Islamabad High Court had already taken notice of irregular appointments in CMU through a writ petition and intra-court appeal filed by Dr. Mutahir Shah, the former DNC (TB), who challenged Mustafa Jamal Kazi’s appointment as National Coordinator CMU without adherence to eligibility criteria. The court had noted that appointments on an “additional charge” basis beyond permissible limits and without advertisement are in contravention of law.
Ministry insiders now fear the entire CMU hiring process could be compromised. “What’s the point of advertising vacancies if political appointments are already being made in parallel?” an official questioned.
The episode has raised serious concerns not only about governance and merit in the health sector but also about Pakistan’s credibility in executing internationally funded health projects. The risk, some fear, is not just administrative failure—but erosion of trust by global partners.
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