ISLAMABAD: After the chairmen of National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR) has decided to drag the federal government to court.
AGPR Tahir Mehmood is likely to file in the Islamabad High Court on Friday a petition against his Dec 18 suspension by the establishment division for three months.
The notification issued in this regard did not mention any reason for the sudden suspension of Mr Mehmood who is attaining the age of superannuation in March next year.
On Dec 2, the federal government had terminated the contract of Nadra chairman Tariq Malik and of Pemra Chairman Chaudhry Rashid Ahmed on Dec 15. In both the cases the government had to face embarrassment as the IHC suspended the termination orders within 24 hours.
AGPR Mehmood told Dawn that he had been suspended for sending references against senior government officials for alleged misuse of public money as well as for advising the State Bank governor not to release any direct advance to the federal government from the Federal Consolidated Fund.
“On Dec 10, I sent references to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against officials of the finance ministry for releasing Rs317 billion to oil marketing companies in a shady manner. The same day I also sent a reference against the release of funds to a private contractor for the construction of a hospital and a hostel in Afghanistan,” he said.
The government of Pakistan had in March 2007 announced that it would build Jinnah Hospital in Kabul at a cost of Rs1,200 million.
Mr Mehmood said he had also sent a reference to NAB against alleged embezzlement in procurement of polio vaccines.
He claimed that some senior government officials had met the Auditor General of Pakistan for his transfer but he refused to entertain the request.
In his petition, Mr Mehmood maintained that he had neither been given any show-cause notice nor reason for the suspension.
He said that in compliance with a Supreme Court judgment in a case relating to release of funds for the constituency of former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, he had sent references to NAB against the finance division officials for alleged misuse of authority in releasing the funds for the above mentioned projects, but in return the government had started victimising him.
When contacted, finance ministry’s spokesman Rana Asad Amin said that since it was an administrative matter he could not comment on it. He, however, said the filing of petition was a fundamental right of Mr Mehmood and the government would follow the court’s orders.
