November 18, 2006	Saturday	Shawwal 25, 1427

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MUZAFFARABAD, Nov 17: Former AJK president Sardar Mohammed Anwar Khan has not yet returned an official vehicle to the president's secretariat despite repeated reminders, Dawn has reliably learnt.

Mr Khan, also a retired major-general, left the presidency on August 25 when his successor Raja Zulqarnain Khan assumed the office. However, he took two vehicles with him against rules.

“One of these vehicles, a five-door Land Cruiser Turbo, was returned by him after one month but the other, a 2005 model Toyota Corolla Saloon car (MD-GA 157), is still in his possession despite the passage of two and a half months,” sources said.

An official in the president's secretariat told Dawn on condition of anonymity that the former president had been repeatedly asked to return the vehicle but to no avail.

The secretariat, the sources said, had earlier asked Chief Secretary Kashif Murtaza to contact the former head of state with a request to return the vehicle at the earliest.

Lately, it had tasked president's Military Secretary Col Khalid Baig to carry out the same job, they said.

The situation and subsequent problems had also been brought to the notice of Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, they said.

According to S&GAD sources, the privileges of former AJK presidents include Rs30,000 as monthly pension, Rs5,000 as monthly telephone expenses and three discretionary employees – a stenographer, a driver-cum-gunman and an orderly. However, they are not entitled to any official vehicle after the end of their term, unlike former prime ministers.

Officials said the S&GAD was in the process of purchasing three Toyota Corolla Saloon cars for three former premiers - Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry and Sardar Sikandar Hayat.