ISLAMABAD: Auditor general of Pakistan (AGP) Javaid Jahangir, who is supposed to ensure accountability and transparency in the operations of government, has been involved in violating rules and regulations himself by drawing house rent allowance of Rs 142,000 per month despite living in the designated audit house in a posh sector of the capital.
Sources informed Pakistan Today that the incumbent AGP could avail one facility at a time which means that he could either draw the house rent or live in an audit house. He is violating the laws by enjoying both facilities.
Earlier, the Supreme Judicial Council had fired the former AGP Buland Akhtar Rana for taking Rs 4.62 million from the national exchequer in excess of his salary and privileges in violation of the rules and regulations.
Now it has come to light that the AGP is taking Rs 699,250 salary per month in which Rs 532,950 is the basic pay and Rs 142,000 is for house rent while Rs 24,300 is for utilities.
“He has collected a total of Rs 1.9 million so far by violating the said laws,” the source claimed while adding, “a sum of Rs 3.12 million is still outstanding against Rana Asad Amin”.
Amin had started receiving an Management Position-1 (MP) pay scale salary in March, 2016; however, while taking benefit of his position just like the incumbent AGP, he collected Rs 2.005 million as outstanding house rent of previous months.
Sources told Pakistan Today that the former principle accounting officer of AGP had also written a letter to him on receiving a complaint but no heed was paid to the letter.
“A complaint was received against ex-AGP Rana Asad Amin regarding the payment of house rent of Rs 142,000 per month despite the fact that he was residing in a designated house in violation of Finance Division OM No F3(2) R-4/2011 dated 14/7/2017 and OM dated 13/12/2016”, the letter stated.
“Being the AGP’s principle accounting officer, I have directed the concerned wing of the AGP office to take action in light of the above referred Finance Division OM to seek clarification from the finance division and/or make recovery of the inadmissible payment but my order has not been obeyed yet. It is now my responsibility to take up the matter with your good self either to get a clarification from the Finance Division or to deposit the recoverable amount and stop the Human Resource Management (HRM) immediately,” the letter further stated.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had given the AGP an approval of paying salary equal to MP-1 scale.
The Finance Division in July, 2017, had also issued an OM of salary package revision, after which the maximum salary of MP-1 was enhanced to Rs 699,250 from 513,500.
The spokesman for the AGP told Pakistan Today that his predecessor was also getting the same perks and he is entitled to these getting these perks and privileges; however, former AGP Buland Akhtar Rana confirmed to Pakistan Today said that living in government accommodation and getting house rent at the same time is illegal.
“House rent is given to an official if the officer does not have government accommodation and has to get a private house”, he said.