ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau on Wednesday ordered an inquiry against appointment of a ‘dead’ officer of grade-19 on a post of grade-21 by the federal cabinet in its meeting on Tuesday.

The federal cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, on Tuesday appointed Sheikh Akhtar Hussein the chief executive officer (CEO) of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap).

Mr Hussein is accused of declaring himself a ‘dead man’ in two corruption references, filed against him by NAB in 2001 and 2004, apparently to escape perjury.

In fact Mr Hussein is a grade-19 officer of the health ministry, but he was given the grade-21 post of the CEO of Drap by the federal cabinet.

According to NAB, its chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal ordered the inquiry against Mr Hussein for having assets beyond known sources of income and for declaring himself a deceased in two references of NAB, and his appointment as the CEO of Drap in BS-19 against the post of BS-21.

“The chairman of NAB has taken notice of the appointment of Sheikh Akhtar Hussein as the Chief Executive Officer of Drap despite allegations of corruption and pending NAB inquiries against him, and that no departmental inquiry was conducted against him with regard to his assets beyond known sources of income,” a NAB spokesman said.

The newly-appointed Director General of NAB, Rawalpindi, Irfan Mangi, has been directed to submit the inquiry report against Mr Hussein to the NAB’s chairman.

A couple of days ago, health secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch claimed that Mr Hussein was the most eligible officer for the post. He had further asserted that the senior-most officers in Drap were either not qualified for the post or they would be retiring soon.

“There is no case of corruption against him and that is why he has been nominated as the head of Drap,” the health secretary had claimed.

Dr Mohammad Aslam was appointed Drap’s first permanent head in 2015 for three years and he retired on Feb 1 after completing his term.

The federal cabinet made Mr Hussein the CEO of Drap despite a fact that a case is also pending in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against him for allegedly declaring himself dead in two cases of corruption.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is also looking into a corruption complaint against him.

Moreover, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, in its two judgements in 2013, had ordered the government to appoint permanent heads of autonomous bodies before their retirement.

Drap was established under the Drap Act, 2012, to provide effective coordination and enforcement of the Drugs Act, 1976, besides bringing harmony to inter-provincial trade and commerce of therapeutic goods. Drap also fixes prices of medicines and takes notice in case of a complaint about substandard drugs.

NAB is also conducting a separate inquiry against former CEO of Drap, Aslam Afghani, who was made the CEO of Drap, despite owing a private pharmaceutical company, in complete violation of the relevant law.

Mr Afghani played a decisive role in enhancing prices of several medicines and his company earned millions of rupees because of the move.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2018