Ministry directs for recovery of illegal salaries, perks from ETPB chairman

LAHORE: The ministry of religious affairs and interfaith harmony (MoRA&IH) has directed for recovery of 211 days salary and other perks and privileges obtained contrary to rules from Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Dr Aamer Ahmed to avoid any audit objection, Pakistan Today learnt on Tuesday.
The ministry wrote a letter to the ETPB chairman in this regard on June 8.
The letter, written by the ministry’s Section Officer Imran Rashid stated, “I am directed to state that during an in house meeting, a question arose as to the date of admissibility of emoluments to the incumbent Chairman ETPB in accordance with MP-I scale. A reference was made to the Establishment, Finance and Law Division for opinion in the matter. In response, it has been clarified that the admissibility of emoluments (salary, house rent and utility) as pet MP-I scale to the Chairman ETPB would take effect from the date of its notification by the Establishment Division on 22-11-2019.”
“Therefore, his salary/emoluments for the period from his date of joining the post i.e. 25-04-2019 to 21-11-2019 would be determined vide rule 5 of the ETPB’s Chairman (Appointment and Other Terms and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2019 as are admissible to government servants in BPS-21 on contract. In view of the above, the emoluments, if drawn as per MP-I scale during the period from 25-04-2019 to 21-11-2019 over and above those prescribed under the rule 5 for a government servant In BPS-21, will have to be recovered to rectify this anomaly and avoid any audit objection at later stage.”
Moreover, the ministry has also asked the ETPB to clarify as to whether the house situated at 22-Zaman Park, Lahore is declared as the chairman’s residence or otherwise, and sought a comprehensive report in the emoluments’ matter from the board.
Sources told that the appointment of Dr Aamer Ahmed as ETPB chairman has been controversial from day one as a petitioner, Major General (R) Muhammad Saad Khattak, had approached the Islamabad High Court, objecting to the appointment.
They further told that the Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) had also objected to the appointment of the chairman. “One of the main reasons for the PHC’s objection was that since all the properties administered by the ETPB belong to Hindus and Sikhs, the chairman of the board should also be a Hindu or a Sikh,” they said.
They added that in a span of two years, the ETPB has not paid much attention to the Hindu and Sikh shrines.
On the other hand, when ETPB Chairman Dr Aamer Ahmed was asked if he had received 211 days salary and other benefits contrary to rules, he replied that when he joined the ETPB as chairman, a case for emoluments was sent to the ministry. “I joined in April, 2019 and the case was processed then. As soon as the case was presented before the federal cabinet, it got approved. During this time, I did not draw any salary as I started drawing salary only after the approval from cabinet,” he maintained.
Similarly, when Ahmed was asked about the official residence at Zaman Park, Lahore, he replied that he never used the official residence of the ETPB. “The Zaman Park residence is designated for the ETPB chairman but I never used it. I have even written that I will not use this residence,” he concluded.