The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned former communications minister Asad Mahmood over alleged irregularities in hiring at Pakistan Post during his time in office. Mahmood, the son of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has been directed to appear before a NAB investigation team in Rawalpindi on 10 November at 11am.
The summons relates to appointments made at Pakistan Post while Mahmood held the communications portfolio in 2022 and 2023. He took up the ministry in the coalition government formed after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government was removed through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
According to the NAB notice, the Establishment Division had cleared recruitment against 3,938 vacancies at Pakistan Post. The bureau alleges, however, that 4,252 people were recruited, taking hiring beyond the approved strength.
The notice further alleges that 2,646 appointments were made against posts that had already been abolished, in breach of instructions from a cabinet committee. It also says permanent appointments were made even though recruitment had been recommended on a contractual basis through a testing agency.
Other allegations set out in the notice include the use of fake and bogus documents, the recruitment of candidates above the permitted age, and breaches of the domicile quota. The bureau is also said to be examining claims that the appointments placed an extra financial burden on Pakistan Post.
NAB has warned that failure to comply with the summons could lead to proceedings under Section 31 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999. Separately, the Federal Investigation Agency’s anti-corruption circle in Islamabad has summoned Mahmood in the same investigation, asking him to record his statement on 2 November.
The reports carried no response from Mahmood. The matters remain allegations under investigation, and a summons is not a finding of guilt.
