ISLAMABAD: Allegations of serious corruption and abuse of authority have surfaced against senior officials of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR), raising fears of damage to Pakistan’s food security and institutional integrity. Joint Secretary Syed Bilal Haider and Federal Secretary Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry are accused of orchestrating fraudulent recruitments, extortion, and manipulation of official processes, in collusion with other officials and political figures.

According to reports and public complaint filed, a fraudulent recruitment scam recently unfolded in the Department of Plant Protection (DPP), where 50 entomologists were appointed illegally and then terminated just two days after their training began. The recruitment process was allegedly engineered by Joint Secretary Syed Bilal Haider with the backing of Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry, bypassing financial approvals and ignoring merit-based selection. It is claimed that the selection committee, which included Joint Secretary Syed Bilal Haider, a controversial official facing FIA cases, and a London-based clearing agent, manipulated the process to favor specific candidates. 

 

Further, in the Project Planning and Development Unit of the ministry, recruitments carried out in March 2025 are also said to have been based on corruption, bribery and favoritism. Individuals selected reportedly paid large sums to secure positions, with shares of these proceeds allegedly passed on to Bilal Haider, Waseem Ajmal, and Federal Minister Rana Tanvir, who is accused of shielding them. 

Despite previous directives to cancel these illegal appointments, the two senior officers have reportedly continued with their activities, evading accountability and raising suspicions of deeper ties with entrenched corrupt networks. Observers argue that the persistence of such practices highlights a larger failure of institutional checks and balances.

Sources further allege that Haider and Ajmal are not acting alone. These officers including Section Officer Syed Asad Hasan, Project Officer Mrs Komal Sufyan (using connections for malpractices being wife of aviation officer), and Project Manager Mumtaz Khan have been named as prominent equal partners in both financial corruption and illegal procurement practices, allegedly benefiting from manipulated supplies and projects as well as manipulating the recruitment process. This mafia has been involved in violation of merit, victimization and even harassment, who have forced innocent and meritorious hirees and employees to leave the organization in order to appoint corrupt blue-eyed candidates in PPDU to strengthen their corrupt network in violation of merit by lifting them up from bottom.

 

Syed Bilal Haider’s history has also come under scrutiny, with his alleged role in Farah Gogi’s corruption network during the PTI government resurfacing. Investigations by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab claimed that Haider facilitated bribes amounting to Rs. 420 million, funneling them to Farah Gogi’s accounts in exchange for illegal postings and contracts. He was further accused of forging documents to inflate project costs—such as raising the PESSI hospital construction cost from Rs. 8.4 million to Rs. 14.4 million—and awarding contracts to frontmen linked to political figures. 

Despite corruption cases, he was appointed Joint Secretary MNFSR and allegedly continues to use his influence to extort officials for lucrative postings.

Inside the ministry, extortion and victimization of officers appear to have become routine. Sources allege that Bilal Haider forces officers to pay "extortion money" to secure or retain posts, with those who refuse facing false inquiries. Officers such as Rahim Niazi, Zeeshan Mustafa, and Dr. Salim Mohsin are among those reportedly targeted. Other officials, including Mumtaz, Komal, and Syed Asad Hasan, are also accused of being involved as Main partners in financial and administrative irregularities.

 

Haider is further alleged to misuse official vehicles, illegally occupy the PARC hostel, and collude with NAFSA officials to manipulate postings. In one case, Dr. Ishfaque was reportedly victimized to benefit Shazia Mateen’s private mango treatment plants. Additionally, fake intelligence reports are said to have been fabricated against honest officers through his connections in security agencies.

Concerns about food security have grown following what has been described as the “Fumi-Gate” scandal under the National Agricultural Food Safety and Animal Health Authority (NAFSA). Under Bilal Haider’s influence, NAFSA allegedly halted methyl bromide fumigation in violation of WTO and IPPC rules, causing Pakistan billions in export losses. Meanwhile, Dr. Muhammad Basit—an official facing FIA cases—was unlawfully assigned quarantine duties, resulting in pest-infested soybean imports that damaged local crops and posed a long-term risk to agriculture.

Calls for immediate action are growing stronger. Critics have demanded the suspension of Syed Bilal Haider and Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry and the initiation of a high-level inquiry by FIA, NAB, or the Anti-Corruption Establishment into the recruitment scandal, NAFSA’s fumigation decisions, and the money trail linked to Farah Gogi. They further demand investigations into the Project Planning and Development Unit’s recent hirings, the removal of officers appointed through bribery, and strict action against individuals for undermining food safety regulations including Section Officer Syed Asad Hasan, Project Manager Mumtaz Khan and Project Officer Mrs Komal Sufyan.

 

Stakeholders warn that Pakistan’s agricultural sector cannot afford the continuation of such practices, which they describe as the work of mafias that are destroying institutions from within. They stress that transparent governance and swift accountability are essential to restore meritocracy and safeguard the country’s food security system.