MUZAFFARABAD, Aug 3: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Friday removed Justice Hussain Mazhar Kaleem from the office of chairman AJK Ehtesab Bureau.
According to a notification issued by the law department, Sardar Rafique Mahmood of Rawalakot had been appointed as EB chairman bringing to end with immediate effect the “temporary arrangement” in this regard on January 18, 2012.
There were no details about the new EB chairman but officials said he was a former advocate general and chairman Service Tribunal.
The move sent shock waves in AJK’s civil society and political circles, and main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz announced that the party would launch protest against it throughout the state.
“It’s a black day because corruption has triumphed over honesty and truthfulness. This action has proved that the government in Muzaffarabad and their bosses in Islamabad are promoting corruption. The PML-N will launch strong protest against it,” said PML-N president Raja Farooq Haider, who is also leader of the opposition in AJK Assembly.
Justice Kaleem, a serving judge of the AJK Shariat Court, was given additional charge of this office in January this year. However, he injected new life into the organisation and tried to make the AJK Council accountable for its expenditures running into billions.
Lately, it may be recalled, the Council officials had also involved the office of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf (who happens to be the chairman AJK Council) to get their institution exempted from the purview of the AJK EB with retrospective effect. However, the move did not materialise due to a wave of anger across AJK and reported resistance by AJK President Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob Khan following which Prime Minister Ashraf’s controversial advice to this effect was shelved.
In the meanwhile, Justice Kaleem had issued arrest warrants for Council’s joint secretary Malik Qaiser Majeed, accounts officer Haq Nawaz Abbasi and AJK income tax commissioner Qaiser Iqbal for their involvement in corruption and non-cooperation with the bureau. However, before they could be arrested, he was himself relieved of the responsibility, sources said.
Well-placed sources claimed that the AJK Council issue was not the only reason of Mr Kaleem’s removal. He was also believed to have made up his mind to investigate some allegedly dubious deals in Mirpur division, mainly the controversial Jinnah Model Town Housing Scheme of Mirpur Development Authority.
On being contacted by Dawn, sources close to the AJK president claimed that the president had “just assented to the summary sent by Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed regarding replacement of Justice Kaleem though personally he was not in its favour”.
However, after the government’s insistence for replacement the president got the man of his choice (Mr Mahmood) appointed as the new EB chief, they added.
Both (president and Mr Mahmood) come from the same Sudhan tribe.
Responding to a question, the presidential sources asserted that the new chairman would pursue the cases of corruption in AJK Council “with the same zeal”.