ISLAMABAD: The fede­r­­al government has requ­es­t­­ed the Islamabad High Cou­­­rt (IHC) for an early decision on its appeal against the restoration of pension of former Federal Investi­gation Agency (FIA) director general Bashir Memon.

Mr Memon had again hit the headlines recently when the Supreme Court finally quashed a presid ential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa and scrapped inquiry proceedings against him by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), as the ex-DG had earlier alleged that he had been pressured by people close to the prime minister to initiate the inquiry against the Supreme Court judge.

The top official of the federal agency had resigned on November 20, 2019, days before his retirement as a mark of protest against the federal government.

The Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR), however, stopped his pension.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had ordered the AGPR to restore his pension, noting that the AGPR had not challenged the officer’s retirement notification. The chief justice also observed that the officers who had performed their duties with honesty should not be meted out such a treatment.

The federal government then challenged Justice Min­allah’s order before a two-member bench of the IHC.

The government’s appe­­al referred to the Civil Service Rule 418 (A) and argued that Mr Memon was not eligible for pension under the rule.

The single bench ignored some important legal points in its Oct 5 order, it added.

The chief justice had on Oct 5, 2020 ordered the relevant authorities to immediately restore the pension of the former FIA head, who had sought premature retirement from his position.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2021