ISLAMABAD-Ministry of National Health Services on Tuesday appointed Asim Rauf as acting head of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan after vacation of a stay by Islamabad High Court.

The IHC had issued stay order against removal of former Chief Executive Officer DRAP Sheikh Akthar Hussain from the post. Sheikh was removed from the post after Higher Education Commission (HEC) expressed inability to verify his PhD degree as it was obtained from an unrecognised university.

The ministry, after removing Sheikh, had appointed Asim Rauf as DRAP CEO, but the IHC had reinstated Sheikh on his post.

Meanwhile, the court directed ministry to hold an inquiry and submit its finding to the court, secretary NHS Zahid Saeed prepared the report recording statement of Sheikh Akthar Hussain.

After the submission of report, IHC vacated the stay and Shiekh Akthar Hussain was again removed from his position of head of the DRAP.

Officials said that additional director DRAP Asim Rauf was runner up when appointment of Sheikh Akthar Hussain as DRAP chief was made.

Officials said that Sheikh Akhtar got the position as he secured extra marks for having PhD degree which Asim Rauf didn’t have.

Meanwhile, additional director Asim Rauf has been given the task to look after the charge of the DRAP CEO until permanent appointment.

The notification available with The Nation said that “The competent authority pleased to assign work of the post of CEO DRAP on look after basis to Asim Rauf, Additional Director to dispose of the day to day business with immediate effect and until further orders”. 

The Ministry of NHS had officially requested the HEC to verify the academic credentials of the then CEO DRAP Sheikh Akhtar Hussain after an allegation of having fake PhD degree was levelled against him.

The HEC after 20 days of receiving the official request from the ministry maintained its previous stance that the degree was obtained from a university declared illegal by the HEC.