ISLAMABAD: Frustration is mounting among hundreds of candidates after the Capital Development Authority stalled recruitment for 192 key posts months after completing tests and interviews, leaving applicants uncertain about their future despite clearing a highly competitive selection process.
The vacancies were announced for engineering, planning and environment wings from BS 13 to BS 19, with the recruitment test conducted through the National University of Sciences and Technology. Out of thousands of applicants, 538 candidates qualified and appeared before interview panels in December last year. Since then, however, the process has remained frozen without any official result.
Several candidates accused the civic agency of delaying the recruitment despite completing every stage of the process. Many said they had prepared for months and secured strong scores in both the written test and interviews. Some applicants have now approached the Federal Ombudsman, alleging unnecessary delays and lack of transparency in the hiring process.
The issue has intensified after CDA moved to hire three directors general in BS 20 on contract basis, preferably retired armed forces officers, while keeping the fate of already shortlisted candidates unresolved. The move has triggered criticism inside the authority, with officials questioning why fresh senior appointments are being prioritised while approved recruitment remains suspended.
Sources within CDA said a large number of applications for the DG posts had already been received and were under scrutiny. Officials also pointed out that some departments are currently being managed by officers in lower grades, creating uncertainty over how the new appointments would function within the existing structure.
In its response, CDA said the original recruitment committee had effectively dissolved after changes in its members and more than six months had passed since the process began. The authority stated that over 1,000 vacant and redundant posts had recently been abolished under an austerity and restructuring drive and hinted that the entire recruitment process for the 192 posts may now be restarted from scratch.
