The top officials of Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) and Controller General Accounts (CGA) are at loggerheads over supporting the corrupt officials in department and issues pertaining to transfer and postings, it has been learnt.
Information available with Pakistan Today indicates that the relationship between Audit and Accounts groups officers are deteriorating with the passage of time over the issue of transfers and postings as well as they are blaming one another for supporting the corrupt officials in the departments.
Sources in AGP told this scribe that the high-ups of CGA were patronising corrupt officers of the department and they pressurised the AGP that specific person should be appointed at important seat.
Recently, CGA officials reportedly recommended appointing Anwer Khan, an audit and accounts group officer to AG KPK office but AGP turned down this request and did not appoint Anwer Khan on the above-mentioned place.
On the contrary, the CGA officials were of the view that this was baseless information; the high-ups of CGA never instructed AGP offices to appoint Anwer Khan in AG Peshawar office.
According to rules and regulation, the AGP office is bound to consult with the CGA over deputing the Audit and Accounts officers in subordinate offices. But, unfortunately, a cold war has ensued between two key offices since 2001 when the CGA was given under the administrative control of Finance Division.
Recently, the parliamentary panel has discussed the matter of separation of accounts from Audit by the AGP and committee chairman instructed to Finance secretary to hold a meeting with stakeholders and submit the report within a month.
Sources further told that the Controller General Accounts Shagufta Khanam had appointed a grade-20 officer of Audit and Accounts group Abdul Shakoor Kaleemi at grade-21 post despite having the senior officer Shahid Gul Qureshi.
Upon contacting, the high-ups of CGA told, “We did not instruct AGP to appoint Abdul Shakoor Kaleemi at the above-mentioned post. He is a senior officer in his batch and former AGP appointed him on merit.”
The high-ups of AGP are again having problem with Abdul Shakoor Kaleemi as he thinks that he is trying to get the seat of AGPR because the incumbent AG Hafiz Tahir will be retired on August 17, 2017.
The AGP rules stated that the AGP has the authority to finalise the name of next chief of AGPR with the consultation of CGA. On the other hand, CGA officials have a point of view that Acting AGP Imran Iqbal was supporting the corrupt officials as his former boss Rana Asad Amin did the same. He was sidelining the honest officers and it seems that Rana Asad Amin despite retiring from service has been running the affairs of AGP.
AGP spokesperson said that Rana Asad Amin did not visit AGP office after his retirement and this was incorrect that officers were being deputed on his instructions. It is worth mentioning here that the government did not appoint the permanent AGP since April 29, 2017, and there is a common perception in Audit and Accounts groups officers that government will appoint any blue-eyed officer on this post likewise the government appointed the chiefs of FBR and SBP.
