Taking a stand: JI slams Bank of Khyber MD, demands enquiry

Says managing director is trying to assassinate finance minister’s character.

PESHAWAR: Jamaat-e-Islami Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter has urged Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to suspend Bank of Khyber’s managing director, Shamsul Mulk, and initiate an enquiry against him

for the “character assassination” of Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said.

This was announced at a news conference at Al Markaz-e-Islami,

JI provincial ameer Mushtaq Ahmad Khan said a newspaper ad which accused the minister of needlessly interfering in the bank’s affairs and political appointments was “a pack of lies”.

He announced they would approach the court against the BoK MD.

He said all accusations levelled against Said were baseless and the bank chief has exceeded his authority. Mushtaq said the advertisement was a charge sheet against previous governments and alleged they made political appointments and issued loans.

“JI is proud of its clear record and anti-corruption agenda,” he said.

He also showed a handout issued by the chief minister in which all allegations were rejected. “The CM handout was a certificate of honesty and showed Khattak’s commitment to the minister,” he said.

He added BoK was a provincial entity and harming its business or putting its future at stake was a serious crime.

Mushtaq said the MD accused the finance minister of interfering in bank affairs and making political appointments for class-VI employee posts. At the same time, he said the MD appointed 450 people.

He said the minister had nothing to do with appointments or promotions of employees and Said did not interfere in bank affairs. The provincial chief of the party demanded an enquiry to determine whether the bank could afford to bear the burden of such large scale hiring.

He said all promotions were done by the MD and not the minister as procedures were autonomous at the bank.

Responding to allegations of arranging political gathering on the bank’s penny, Mushtaq challenged the MD to name any such incident.

“The finance minister and even the CM attended branch opening ceremonies and the bank sends out invitations for this purpose,” he said.

He stated the Ehtesab Commission launched an enquiry against the appointment of the MD after bank employees complained about the matter. He added the CM also formed a committee and two bank employees, who were also members of this body, were dismissed by the MD for no reason.

He claimed there was a strict accountability mechanism in the party and enquiries were initiated against its members on a regular basis.

JI Central Deputy Secretary General Muhammad Azhar said 70% of shares in the bank were owned by the provincial government and 30% belonged to private individuals.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2016.