ISLAMABAD - Islamabad High Court will take up today a petition moved against collection of National Testing Service fee from candidates of different positions in National Accountability Bureau.
A single bench of the IHC comprising Justice Aamir Farooq will hear the petition moved by Rashid Mahmood. Moved through Yasir Chaudhary Advocate, the NAB and NTS chairmen have been made respondents in the petition.
The petitioner stated that he is an educated, young and jobless citizen. He said that NAB advertised several positions and asked the candidates to deposit Rs150 as test fee for each post. Rashid pleaded the court that he wanted to apply for the posts of lower division clerk, upper division clerk, data entry operator and steno-typist but was compelled to deposit the required amount to appear in the test and interview.
He said that he is unemployed and it is difficult for him to pay the test fees to the NTS. The petitioner said that recruitment tests for vacant posts in NAB have become a source of come for the NTS. This is an example of exploitation of unemployed youth in the hands of respondents, he pleaded.
“The petitioner and other unemployed candidates who are aspirants to join the NAB have to deposit multiple test fees when applying for more than one position, which is an extra financial burden, maintained the petitioner.
He contended that the NTS was a private body, how come such important advertisement for jobs in NAB could be handed over to it because the NTS had no authority to initiate recruitment process in NAB.
The petitioner argued that it was unfair that the petitioner and other candidates were forced to pay the so-called test fees throughout the year for different posts and then, at the end, just know that they had been dropped. Also, it is grave injustice on the part of NAB to hand over the authority of recruitment to NTS to decide the fate of the petitioner and other unemployed youth, he maintained.
Rashid prayed to the court that collection of NTS fee from the candidates of different positions in the NAB may be declared as illegal and the recruitment though NTS may be suspended in the light of a judgment of Lahore High Court (LHC). He also requested the court that Chairman NAB may also be directed to conduct the job test through own professional team instead of involving NTS or any other private entity.