ISLAMABAD: Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) Akhtar Buland Rana on Thursday challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) the extension in the service of Controller General of Accounts (CGA) Farah Ayub Tarin.

A single-member bench of the party will take up the petition on Friday (today).

In the petition filed through advocate Saeed Khurshid Ahmed, the AGP contended that the notification issued by the ministry of finance on August 13, extending the service of Ms Tarin, was against the law. It said Ms Tarin was going to be retired on August 14 after reaching the age of superannuation.

There is no provision of law for the extension of the service of a civil servant after their retirement, it added, requesting the court to set aside the notification.

It may be mentioned that last month the AGP had also filed a petition with the IHC, claiming that the federal government was planning to appoint Ms Tarin in his place.

It added that the government also planned to book him in a fake case, using the police or the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), or cause him bodily harm since only his imprisonment or death would allow the government to replace him.

The petition added that the CGA was a grade 22 officer of the Pakistan Audit and Accounts Service (PAAS) and subordinate to the AGP. However, Ms Tarin’s appointment as the CGA was not discussed with the AGP.

Earlier on July 8, the IHC single member bench had issued a restraining order in favouring of the AGP directing the federal government not to intervene in his authority.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2014