*AGP Buland Rana has started returning his alleged excessive salary but Rana’s aide says Finance Ministry has started making the deduction without consulting the AGP
The tug of war between Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) Buland Akhtar Rana and the federal government has taken a twist as the AGP has started returning the alleged excessive salary for which he is facing a reference in the Supreme Judicial Council, Pakistan Today has learnt.
However, a close aide of the AGP has confirmed that the Finance Ministry has started deducting the controversial amount without consulting Rana.
“The act of the government is a contempt of court as the reference is already under review in the Supreme Judicial Council,” he said.
With the AGP’s latest move of returning the alleged excessive salary, the fate of the reference pending against him in the Supreme Judicial Council hangs in the balance as the ground on which the whole reference was filed has ceased to exist, sources in Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR)told Pakistan Today.
According to the documents available with Pakistan Today, the AGP has returned Rs 90,373 to the national exchequer under head of account 5801(adjustment of basic pay) from his salary for the month of September. The gross salary of AGP for the month of September was Rs 271,119 against Rs 398,665 for the month of August.
Earlier, a reference for the AGP’s removal was sent to the Supreme Judicial Council on August 11 by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) headed by National Assembly Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah on the grounds that the AGP had unlawfully increased his own salary against the terms and conditions of his post.
The AGP has donated Rs 45,186 each to three charity organisations – Pakistan Baitul Maal (under head of account 3996), Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (under head of account 3997) and Edhi Foundation (under head of account 3998) from his salary for the month of September, according to documents available with Pakistan Today.
As per the documents, the AGP donated Rs 92,644 each to the same charity organisations from his salary for the month of August.
The AGP pressured the AGPR staff to create new heads of account for direct transfer of donations to the afore-mentioned charity organisations, sources said.
The AGP’s take-home salary for the months of August and September after all the deductions including income tax and donations was Rs 54, 349 and Rs 15, 173, respectively.
A former bureaucrat, while talking to Pakistan Today, wondered over the final salary of the AGP for the month of September.
“How can officer of Grade 22 run his home with a meager take-home salary of Rs15,173 when there is no other known source of his income?” the former civil officer remarked.
