SC summons Khursheed Shah in EOBI case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thurs­­­­day summoned Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Ahmed Shah to clarify his position on his alleged involvement in recruiting people to the Employees Old-Age Benefit Institution (EOBI) despite a ban by the apex court.



The three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, resumed the hearing of a contempt matter and asked the PPP leader to submit a concise statement of notice. The bench also issued bailable warrant against former Secretary Ministry of Labour and Manpower Arif Azeem.

The interior ministry has been asked to place his name on the Exit Control List (ECL).

As many as 238 people were employed between September 2011 and May 2012 in the EOBI when Khusheed Shah was the Minister and Arif Azeem the secretary, Labour and Manpower, even after the apex court had explicitly ordered EOBI not to hire people in January 2011.

In its last hearing, the bench had summoned both of them but neither they nor anyone on their behalf appeared before the bench. On Thursday, NAB’s Special Prosecutor Nasir Mughal submitted a report in accordance with the orders of the court.

The report said that Khursheed Shah remained the Minister of Labour and Manpower between March 31, 2008 and May 2011. Arif Azeem, currently ‘awaiting posting,’ was the secretary of Labour and Manpower at that time.



The prosecutor informed the bench that he had communicated the court order to Azeem. He quoted Azeem as saying that he was on ex-Pakistan leave and would go abroad for a medical checkup.

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