Serious irregularities involving recruitment and financial matters at Pakistan Post during the tenure of Maulana Asad Mahmood, son of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and former federal minister for communications, have come to light.
According to an audit report, the Pakistan Postal Services Department exceeded its approved recruitment quota. Allegations also emerged during a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting that government jobs were sold for between Rs1 million and Rs1.5 million, while documents submitted by some recruits were suspected of being forged. The committee had decided to refer the recruitment case to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for investigation.
According to audit documents, the Establishment Division, acting on the instructions of the Finance Division, had authorised Pakistan Post to fill 3,938 vacant positions from Basic Pay Scale (BPS) 1 to 15. However, the department recruited 4,252 individuals, exceeding the approved quota by 314 appointments.
Audit officials raised objections, declaring the additional appointments contrary to government rules, relevant approvals and official instructions.
The report further revealed that some appointments were completed after the expiry of the recruitment authorisation, while vacancies that had already been abolished were also reportedly filled. The Establishment Division’s recruitment approval expired in May 2023, but the hiring process was completed after that deadline.
The audit authorities maintained that these irregularities had adversely affected the department’s financial position.
PAC raises questions over recruitment process
The matter took a more serious turn when the recruitment procedure came under scrutiny during a Public Accounts Committee meeting.
Audit officials informed the committee that objections had been raised over suspicious or forged documents submitted by several recruits. It was also reported that some individuals secured government jobs without submitting formal applications or going through the required testing and interview procedures.
PAC Chairman Junaid Akbar Khan expressed strong displeasure over the recruitment process and questioned how such appointments had been made.
Government jobs sold for up to Rs1.5 million
During the meeting, allegations also surfaced that government jobs had been sold for amounts ranging from Rs1 million to Rs1.5 million.
Committee members stressed that if bribes had been paid or received in exchange for appointments, action should be taken against everyone involved, regardless of their position.
Officials also acknowledged irregularities in the recruitment process and informed the committee about disciplinary action against certain individuals. However, some employees dismissed from their positions had reportedly obtained stay orders from different high courts, preventing the implementation of their dismissals.
Rs2.73 billion in financial irregularities identified
According to the audit report, four separate recruitment-related cases involved financial irregularities amounting to a total of Rs2.73 billion.
However, this figure represents the total amount associated with the audit objections and should not be interpreted as money personally received by any individual. Separate evidence would be required to establish whether any official or political figure personally benefited from the alleged irregularities.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, the Public Accounts Committee directed that the case be referred to NAB for investigation and that those responsible be identified.
Questions over Asad Mahmood’s tenure
The audit objections raised during Maulana Asad Mahmood’s tenure as federal minister for communications have raised serious questions about the recruitment system at the Mini
