LAHORE: The management of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has warned its former managing director (currently an officer on special duty) of stopping his monthly salary in case he avoids attending the office.

The managing director, however, says the action will be illegal.

The management recently issued a notice to Ali J Hamdani, whose services were placed under suspension with the seizure of his power to act as the managing director in February this year, under which he was asked to attend the office on a regular basis, failing which his salary’s release will be stopped, says an official source.

“Since he (Mr Hamdani) has not bothered to receive this notice, his salary for the month of April is likely to be stopped by the company’s finance department,” the official requesting anonymity said.

On the other hand, the outgoing MD, who has challenged the act of his ouster in the Lahore High Court, rejected the notice and termed it unlawful.

“The notice has been signed and sent by a junior officer who does not have the power to do so. He has not forwarded a copy of this letter to the sitting managing director, the board, or the petroleum division. How can I term it as issued under the rules and regulations?” he questioned.

He said whenever he visited the office, the HR department officer disappeared after seeing him.

“My office on the 7th floor of the SNGPL’s building on Kashmir Road (Lahore) has also been sealed. So, where will I sit?” he deplored.

Mr Hamdani called the management’s actions illegal, saying he would also challenge this in court.

According to him, his salary cannot be blocked in any way. “If someone did this, it will be illegal,” he maintained.

He said the court has reserved judgment in his case, and soon it will be announced.

“I’m sure that the court will decide this case in my favour, as I was removed by the board unlawfully,” he claimed.

It merits mentioning that the company’s board of directors had on Feb 18 removed Mr Hamdani from the post with a direction to avoid exercising his authority to run the country’s largest state-owned gas company. The board also appointed Amir Tufail as the new managing director on an officiating charge basis.

Mr Hamdani’s removal was based on allegations of irregularities/corruption. However, he rejected these allegations, describing the entire procedure adopted to remove him from office as illegal, baseless, and unethical under corporate governance rules, and announced that he would challenge it in a court of law.

INAUGURATION: The SNGPL management on Friday inaugurated a daycare centre at the company office.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, company’s board of directors chairperson Roohi Raees Khan said the board had always endeavored for the welfare of the company and its employees.

“The measures taken by the board and implemented by the management resulted in UFG reduction, cost control and a successful digitisation programme,” she said, adding any organisation or even society cannot prosper without collective efforts; hence, all employees, male and female, must work together and develop a tolerance for each other.

She said the daycare centre was a longstanding demand of the company’s female employees, which had been fulfilled.

On this occasion, MD Amer Tufail said the company would strive to bring in further improvement to the daycare centre in the future.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2023