Rule Of Law: Ex-AG challenges removal from post

LAHORE: Lahore High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the federal government on a writ petition challenging the appointment of the Punjab accountant general. Former accountant general Imran Iqbal filed the petition saying that the comptroller general of accounts was the competent authority to appoint an accountant general. He said however, the auditor general had dismissed him from the post and appointed Javed Jahangir as AG even though he was not authorised to do so. The petitioner said that the auditor general had violated a directive issued by the prime minister in which he had defined the powers of the comptroller general of accounts and the auditor general. He asked the court to set aside Jahangir’s appointment and reinstate him. Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan sought a reply from the government on the matter concerning the powers of the auditor general and comptroller of accounts. The judge then adjourned hearing for two weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2014.