- Rana Amin initiates transfers/postings of officials considered close to former AGP, leaves several stranded as officers ‘awaiting posting’
- Farooq Mohsin, Sania Riffat, Tanweer Hamid, Ikram Khan, Shahzad Raza Syed, Khurram Raza Qureshi given commands of vacant slots
Newly-appointed Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) Rana Asad Amin has started sacking officials considered close to the previous AGP Buland Akhtar Rana, shelving them as officials “awaiting posting”, Pakistan Today has learnt.
According to documents available with Pakistan Today, immediately after taking oath as AGP on June 8, Amin ordered the transfer/posting of 12 B-20 officers, six of whom were kept as officials “awaiting posting”.
The stranded officers have neither been made officers on special duty (OSDs) nor have they been suspended from service, as required under the law, after intimating the charges against them, according to the documents.
To fill in the slots, six officers considered “blue-eyed” have been given the reins of the concerned departments with each officer enjoying two posts of director general (B-20).
“It seems that the new AGP took the decision in a rush. Since he is already 63 years of age and he can serve another two years before he would reach the age of superannuation in April 2017, he wants to cleanse the department of all those considered close to the previous AGP,” sources within the department told Pakistan Today.
Resultantly, owing to the fear of possible victimisation, all officers interviewed for the post of Director (Administration) have refused the assignment on one pretext or the other.
REPLACING CONFLICT WITH CONFLICT:
In one of the cases, the transfer of Kashif Ahmed Noor as Audit Works (Federal) DG was changed on June 16, reportedly on the grounds that the posting was “in a conflict of interest” with regards to auditing as the officer had in the past served as Director (Finance) in the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation.
Noor has been replaced by former PIFRA DG Atif Ayub, which is no less a case of conflict of interest as the officer would be dealing not only with the audit report of PIFRA Project but also a number of audit reports of the National Highway Authority where he remained posted for 10 years, first from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2004 to 2008.
In another case, Naveed Akram Chaudhry, who had assumed charge as ERRA DG Audit in the last week of May 2015, was also removed after only three weeks of posting through an order dated June 16 and shelved as “awaiting posting”, contradicting the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Anita Turab case which clearly lays down that the civil servants must be allowed to complete their normal tenure of posting of three years.
Similarly, Shahid Gul Qureshi, Syed Gulzar Hasnain, Junaid Mushtaq Qureshi and Zahid Rashid among others were transferred after putting in hardly a few months service.
ONE OFFICER, TWO SLOTS:
Moreover, in the latest round of postings on June 22, no effort has been made to fill in the vacant posts of directors general (B-20).
Instead, additional charge has been given to the officers in addition to their own assignments. These officers are Inland Revenue Lahore DG Audit Farooq Mohsin, who has been assigned the work of Lahore Railways DG Audit, Lahore Commercial DG Audit Sania Riffat, who has been assigned the work of Lahore District Government Punjab (North) DG Audit, Lahore Performance Audit Wing DG Tanweer Hamid, who has been assigned the work of Lahore PT&T Audit DG, Lahore Customs & Petroleum DG Audit Muhammad Ikram Khan, who has been assigned the work of Lahore WAPDA DG Audit, Lahore Pakistan Audit & Accounts Academy DG Shahzad Raza Syed, who has been assigned the work of Lahore Audit Works (Provincial) DG, and Islamabad AGP Office IR&C DG Khurram Raza Qureshi, who has been assigned the work of Islamabad ERRA DG Audit.
‘WILL GET BACK TO YOU’:
When asked if the transfers and postings had victimised some officers, Deputy Auditor General (Administration) Ahmed Hussain Ghumman said that he would have to seek prior permission from the AGP before speaking to media.
“Let me discuss the matter with the AGP so as I could be clear whether any other officer has been appointed as spokesperson or I can make a comment. I would get back to you after 10 minutes,” the senior officer promised. However, the official never returned the call.
