LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has been informed on Tuesday that the ten-year agreement between Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) and a private company for conducting Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) and other examinations has been cancelled.
The disclosure was made by the PMC before the Lahore High Court during the hearing of a petition moved against PMC and the private company.
At the outset of the hearing, the counsel for Pakistan Medical Commission told the court that after the cancellation of the contract, the commission has also issued a new advertisement for the contract under PAPRA Rules.
The company’s lawyer said that the commission had entered into a ten-year agreement, worth about Rs 40 billion, with the private company TIPS in open violation of the PAPRA rules. The lawyer further said that the company with which the contract was signed was registered after the expiry of the deadline for receiving applications. He said that PAPRA, while deciding the matter, had declared the agreement as a violation of rules and regulations.
Justice Muzammil Akhtar Shabbir had referred the matter to the PAPRA Authority to determine the legality of the agreement and had stopped PMC from making any payment to the private company till the final decision of PAPRA.
Now, PAPRA has ruled in the matter, declaring the agreement a breach of rules and regulations.
The petitioner pleaded that in its decision, PAPRA directed the commission as a procuring agency to abide by the legal framework of public procurement. He pointed out that PAPRA Rejected the position of the commission and declared the fees collected from students as public fund.
He said despite the court order, the commission continued to pay crores of rupees to the private company. The petitionerrequested the court to declared the agreement between the commission and the private company as illegal after PAPRA decision.
He also asked the court to order criminal action against those responsible for paying despite court order and recover public money from the private company.
The court will resume hearing on December 6.
