Controversial Member (Fin) Ogra: Cabinet Division seeking four-year extension

The Cabinet Division is astonishingly set to seek Prime Minister's approval for the grant of a four-year extension in service to Member (Finance), Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), Mir Kamal Mari, who the Cabinet Division had accused of illegally enjoying powers of Member (Gas), Business Recorder has learnt.
Cabinet Division Secretary Nargis Sethi issued a directive to Ogra Chairman on February 9, 2011, stating: "Attention of Chairman Ogra is invited to the meeting held in this office on 13 October 2010 which was chaired by Advisor to the Prime Minister on Political affairs....the decisions of the meeting have not been implemented by Ogra. Despite lapse of 4 months, the powers of Member (Gas) have not yet been restored. Present Member (gas) has also agitated against curtailing functions.....Chairman Ogra is advised to please restore powers of member (Gas) immediately as decided in the above said meeting under intimation to the Cabinet Division."
Ogra comes under the administrative control of Cabinet Division. Ogra Ordinance 2002 reads, "the federal government may remove a member from his office if, on an inquiry by the Federal Public Service Commission, he is found unable to perform the functions of his office due to mental or physical disability or to have committed misconduct". The Cabinet has not yet referred the matter to Federal Public Service Commission.
According to sources, Ogra Chairman Tauqeer Sadiq has submitted good performance report for Mir Kamal Mari to Evaluation committee comprising Secretary Finance, Secretary Establishment Division and Secretary Cabinet and has recommended a four-year extension in service to him.
Member Finance was appointed in May 2009 on two-year contract, reportedly bypassing many potential candidates who had raised serious question, notably his claim that he was self-employed (July 2004 to 2009) in his father-in-law's company Meridian Heights and Marri Mining Corporation Islamabad, without providing any explanation on what kind of economic activity he was engaged in.