Pakistan Nursing Council’s Ex-Official Faces Multiple Allegations of Misconduct
Islamabad: Mushtaq Ahmad Soomro, a former Assistant Registrar at the Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC), has been at the center of several controversies, including illegalities in the registration of nursing institutes, conflict of interest, and harassment of a female officer.
According to sources, Soomro was posted in PNC on deputation basis for two years in 2021 but was repatriated to his parent department in 2022 due to various illegalities. However, he was reinstated in PNC ministry of health, only to be removed again in 2023 along with the then president and vice president of PNC.
The Islamabad High Court endorsed Soomro’s relieving from PNC in a writ petition, and an inquiry found him guilty of registering a fake nursing institute, Hyderabad College of Nursing, Hyderabad. He also faces charges of conflict of interest, as he and his relatives own private nursing institutes in Sindh province.
Soomro was suspended from PNC in January 2023 and later appointed as Director (Staff Officer to SAPM) in the Ministry of NHSR&C without approval from PNC. He has been accused of not handing over records and charge relinquishment and proclaiming himself as Deputy Registrar PN&MC without approval.
An FIR was registered against Soomro for harassing a female officer, and he is currently facing trial. Another FIR was registered against him for his involvement in a fake nursing institute, Vanguard Institute of Nursing, and he was arrested and sent to Adyala jail Rawalpindi.
Soomro is currently an employee of the health department in Sindh government and has been posted as a nursing instructor at Liaqat College of Nursing Jamshoro.
The executive committee of PNC has recommended Soomro’s repatriation to his parent department, citing conflict of interest and illegal acts. The committee observed that Soomro and his accomplices had hijacked the council and violated the provisions of the PNC Act, 1973.
The case has raised concerns over the transparency and accountability of the Pakistan Nursing Council and the Ministry of Health. The authorities have been urged to take action against Soomro and ensure that such incidents are not repeated in the future.
