The government is yet to make its mind to appoint Transparency International Pakistan’s former head Syed Adil Gillani as ambassador to Serbia, officials said.
Senior officials at the foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Gillani was one of the candidates for the slot but his name had not yet been finalised.
Earlier, reports said that the government was planning to appoint Gillani – who was accused of maneuvering survey reports in favour of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) government – would soon be flying to Siberia as the country’s envoy.
Last year, Gillani was appointed as a consultant by the Nawaz Sharif government for the Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission (PMIC).
As part of his job, Gillani was expected to assist the PMIC chairman to develop intelligence network to detect corporate crimes, check illegal asset transactions, monitor mega land, financial, corporate crimes under investigation and in courts under prosecution, collect financial crimes data and develop an e-database, improve international rating of Pakistan in the corruption index and check frauds in energy, power and privatisation sector and follow-up.
Gillani confirmed that he had accepted the job for two years on an “honorary basis”, but under the contract, he will get an official car with a driver, tickets to fly between Islamabad and Karachi twice a month, other allowances and an official with staff at the PM’s Secretariat.
Gillani as head of the TIP gave a clean chit to the Punjab government flagship Lahore Metro Bus project in 2013. In 2015, the Lahore Development Authority was issued a certificate of transparency by the TIP. The TIP in its corruption perception index reports had showed improved ranking of Pakistan during the tenure of the incumbent government.
Gillani told a newspaper that it had not yet been conveyed to him by the government about any decision to appoint him the ambassador to Serbia.
“There has been no official communication so far. I cannot take a decision to accept or refuse such an offer at this time,” he said.
Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) leader Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, meanwhile, raised concerns over the possible appointment, saying “non-career diplomats are in fact unfavourable” for the state.
He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is famous for appointing “corrupt people” on key posts in institutions that may have the justification to keep a check on his performance.
“Upon pleasing their master (Nawaz Sharif), these corrupt people are then rewarded by further appointments where they can travel abroad. This malpractice of the PML-N results in creating further problems for the country,” he said.
