Contingency: Government eyes ‘trustworthy’ acting auditor general

A backup plan is ready in case judicial council stops AGP from functioning

ISLAMABAD:

As the rift widens between federal authorities and Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) Akhtar Buland Rana, the government is planning to appoint its ‘trustworthy’ officer as acting AGP for which it has kept four posts of grade-22 in the audit and accounts service group vacant.

Officials privy to the matter said the government has kept these posts vacant to keep the option open for appointing an acting AGP of its choice, in case the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) decides to temporarily stop Buland Rana from functioning.

The audit and accounts service group has four grade-22 posts. According to section 168 of the Constitution, the president has the authority to appoint the most senior officer in the Office of the Auditor General to act as AGP, if the office of the auditor general is vacant.

Currently, Controller General of Accounts (CGA) Farah Ayub Tarin is the senior most official. She attained superannuation age on August 14 but was re-employed till December or until a person is promoted to grade 22.

Sources reveal that Tarin is considered to have close ties with the finance ministry, particularly with its adviser, Rana Assad Amin. He is believed to be calling most of the shots in the ongoing tussle between the federal government and AGP Rana.

Amin, along with Tarin, are considered to be the hot candidates for the post of AGP, if the incumbent is removed from his office by the SJC, sources further said. However, Amin was not available for comment.

According to officials of the audit and accounts group, Tarin’s extension was against the CGA Ordinance of 2001 and a Supreme Court judgment that bars re-employment against regular posts. As per law, the CGA can only be appointed from regular service and retired persons cannot hold the regular post.

Liaquat Hamdani, Malik Khadim Hussain, Abdul Baseer, Parveen Agha, Manak Sher Idrees and Najeebullah are the senior most officers of the group, once Tarin retires. But sources said that government is not keen on promoting them on grade 22 position until SJC takes a decision in Rana’s case.

The National Assembly has endorsed the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendation to move a reference to SJC to remove Rana from his office. The PAC recommendation was based on findings that AGP Rana withdrew Rs4.7 million from the exchequer on account of excess salary and privileges.

Under the constitution, the auditor general, who is administered oath by the chief justice, can only be removed by the SJC.

What appears to be retaliation for a government move to send a reference against him to the SJC, AGP Rana on August 12 issued an office order, instructing all his field formations not to cooperate with the parliamentary bodies.

Mohiuddin Wani, spokesperson for the PM’s office, was contacted for the government’s stance as to why the positions were kept vacant. However, no reply had been received until the filing of this story.

Bone of contention

The roots of the ongoing tussle between Rana and the government can be traced to the previous PPP regime when some top officers of the audit group tried to stop Rana’s promotion to grade 22 and his subsequent appointment as AGP. One of these officers now has close ties with the present government and is calling the shots, said the sources.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2014.