MUZAFFARABAD: The ‘Board of Directors’ of the state owned Azad Kashmir Mineral and Industrial Development Corporation (AKMIDC) has appointed the anti-corruption department’s director general as inquiry officer to probe into allegations against its under suspension BPS-19 officer, according to a notification issued here on Thursday.

Raja Atif Akram, holding the post of secretary in AKMIDC, was suspended from service on March 12 in accordance with the decision of ‘Board of Directors’ under section 4 of the Special Power Act, 2001.

The same day, Irshad Ahmed Qureshi, DG Anti Corruption, was appointed by the AJK premier as inquiry officer. However, on being pointed out by Mr Qureshi that the authority to appoint an inquiry officer vested with the BoD (and not the AJK PM), a fresh order was issued by the BoD accordingly on Thursday.

Mr Akram, who is younger brother of a former bureaucrat turned PML-N leader from district Muzaffarabad, has been charged with holding fake BA mark sheet on the basis of which he got recruitment as assistant secretary in BPS-16 in 1987. Besides, he also got upgradation in BPS-19 in a fraudulent manner in 2009.

According to his SSC certificate, issued in 1972 by the BISE Lahore, his date of birth is July 3, 1960 meaning thereby he had passed that exam at the age of 12 years, though in third division. He did his FA in 1981 from AJK BISE, also in third division.

His name on the BA degree, purported to have been issued by the Punjab University on August 14, 1994, which is a national holiday, carries a different name and place of residence.

However despite facing inquiries at various levels action against him could not be taken for his strong political connections.

On August 29, last year, he was finally made officer on special duty (OSD) by chairman AKMIDC (minister concerned) on the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee, which was also probing this issue for the sake of recovery.

However, that order was suspended by the Supreme Court in September last year on ‘technical grounds,’ saying it would cause Mr Atif an ‘irreparable loss.’

Earlier, the AJK High Court had declined to grant him similar relief and had instead directed for verification of his BA degree through the Higher Education Commission.

Interestingly, the Punjab University, in its letter dated March 7, 2014, has informed the AKMIDC Chairman that Mr Akram’s case was examined by its ‘disputed cases committee’ on February 24 and had recommended to the secretary disciplinary committee to register an unfair means case against him.