SC rejects report on OGDC chairman's appointment

Supreme Court rejects report into report on appointment of Adnan Khawaja, questions his high salary.

The Supreme Court has rejected a report into the appointment of Adnan Khawaja as the Chairman of the Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDCL).

It has also questioned the high salary given to the Chairman.

During the hearing, Justice Javed Iqbal said that Khawaja's qualifications for the post weren't good enough.

He pointed out that the new chairman had been offered a salary greater than the seventeen judges on the bench put together.

The Secretary establishment told the Court that Adnan Khawaja was appointed on the verbal order of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. He was the Chairman of the National Vocational and Technical Education Commission when he was appointed to the OGDC.

The government's appointment of Adnan A Khawaja as managing director of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) earned the ire of the Supreme Court earlier as well.

Khawaja is an NRO beneficiary and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani recently appointed him as the Managing Director of OGDC. The Supreme Court took notice of his appointment which led the government to sack him. He was subsequently arrested on the orders of the Supreme Court while he was facing corruption charges in the court. He was released on bail a day later.