KARACHI (June 10 2008): In a highly important development on Monday, Nasrin Haq became the first woman to head the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) as its chief executive. In her appointment, the
port authority is having a civilian as its chief after a lapse of at least 18 years.
Nasrin's appointment has, however, evoked a considerable controversy. According to sources, the Director-General (DG), Ports and Shipping, Vice Admiral Asad Qureshi, who had taken over the additional charge of KPT following the retirement of Vice Admiral Ahmed Hayat on May 31, 2008, handed over the charge to Nasrin Haq at 3pm at the KPT Head Office.
Sources said that Nasrin, a Grade-20 bureaucrat from Pakistan Railways, has been appointed as KPT chairperson on a Grade-22 slot, which could only be filled by a Grade-21 officer.
When contacted, Vice Admiral Asad Qureshi confirmed that he had handed over his additional charge to Nasrin. Qureshi, however, refused to make any comment on the merits of her appointment, saying the order had come from the establishment, and that he had nothing to comment on it. Sources said that the lady had been appointed as KPT Chairperson on "same grade (20) and salary scale" that she used to have in her previous organisation.
The new KPT chief could not reached for her comments. Three names were under consideration for the vacant position. Of these, two were from civil institutions while one was from the armed forces.
Bedsides Nasrin Haq, the other candidates were Pakistan People's Party leader and a noted industrialist Mirza Ikhtiyar Baig, who contested from NA-251 in February 18 2008 elections and lost to an MQM candidate, and Admiral Haroon. Baig is said to have declined the KPT post as he is more interested in Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP).
Sources said the prospects of Admiral Haroon were not "bright" as the PPP-led coalition was more interested in a civil servant for this post than someone from the navy. The last civilian KPT chief, sources said, was General Manager Administration Aleem Akhtar Shah, who had taken over the top office after the sudden demise (heart attack) of Aftab Alam, General Manager Planning and Development in 1989.
Before that, M Ishaq Arshad, Alam's predecessor, had headed KPT for at least eight years in the reign of President General Zia-ul-Haq, they said. From 1990 to June 9, 2008, the Trust had witnessed six chairmen from Pakistan Navy. They were Admiral S.R. Hussain, Admiral Ahmed Tasneem, Admiral Akbar H. Khan (Retd), Vice Admiral Khalid Mir, Vice Admiral Ahmed Hayat Khan HI (M) and Vice Admiral Asad Qureshi, sources said.
APP adds: Present Government continued its strides forward bringing the female talent to the fore to head various nation building organisations. This time it was Karachi Port Trust which will now be headed by Nasrin Haq, the first-ever female civil servant to lead this most important organisation.
She replaces Admiral Ahmed Hayat who served KPT for eight years with four extensions. Nasrin Haq will be the first Civilian Chairman of KPT after 14 years. She took the charge from Admiral Asad Qureshi, who was holding the office of Chairman as Additional charge on retirement of Admiral Ahmed Hayat.
Before taking over as Chairman KPT,
she was presently working as Managing Director Karachi Urban Transport Corporation where she brought her 32 year field experiences working in key positions in the Pakistan Railways, Port Qasim Authority, and as the Director General Export Terminal in the Export Promotion Bureau.
A Fellow of the
Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistic, Ms Haq holds a
Masters degree in Defence and Strategic Studies. She graduated from St. Josephs Collage for Women Karachi. Additionally she has also done post graduation in Transport studies.
Besides numerous training at the prestigious national institutes, she has also been trained at the
John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; at the Canadian Pacific Railways and with the British Railways.
Ms Haq is credited for developing Pakistani's first Shipping Policy, and also getting ISO 9002 certification for the Port Qasim Authority, where she was managing Policy issues, Industrial Management and Marketing in her capacity as Secretary Port Qasim Authority, DGM Industrial Management and DGM Marketing, Tariff and Statistics.
Earlier, while working for the Export Promotion Bureau as Director General Export Terminal, Haq developed Pakistanis first Export Terminal at the Karachi Port West Wharf to resolve the shipment and documentation problems of exporters.
Haq, also a law graduate has controlled Operations, Commercial, Human Resource Management, Marketing and Industrial Management for the Pakistan Railways and the Port Qasim Authority. Her major field of expertise is Freight Operations and she has been handling the movement of bulk, break bulk, liquid cargo and containers from Karachi Port and Port Muhammad Bin Qasim.
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