Illegal recruitments in PPOD: Fazl’s son fails to appear before NAB
ISLAMABAD: Defying a second summons issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Maulana Asad Mehmood, son of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, failed to appear before the bureau on Friday in connection with an inquiry into alleged illegal recruitments in the Pakistan Post Office Department (PPOD) during his tenure as Minister for Communications and Postal Services in 2022 and 2023.
On November 10, the NAB had directed Mehmood to appear before the bureau. The anti-graft body issued another summons to him for November 13. Sources said that Mehmood submitted a written reply to the NAB; however, the anti-graft body termed it unsatisfactory.
According to a notice issued by the anti-graft body, the NAB is conducting an inquiry under the provisions of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 (NAO 1999) into allegations of illegal recruitments in the PPOD during his tenure as Minister for Communications and Postal Services in 2022 and 2023.
The allegations state that while the Establishment Division allowed the PPOD to fill 3,938 posts, recruitments were actually made against 4,252 positions. Furthermore, appointments were allegedly made against 2,646 abolished posts in direct violation of instructions from the cabinet committee.
The notice adds that although the Director General (DG) of the PPOD had recommended contractual recruitment through a testing agency, a large number of appointments were instead made on a regular basis without any rationale. According to the bureau, this placed an extra financial burden on the PPOD, with the selected candidates reportedly having political affiliations.
According to the summons, the allegations include recruitment through fake or forged documents, the appointment of overage candidates, and violations of the domicile quota. In view of these allegations, Mehmood has been directed to appear in person before the Combined Investigation Team (CIT) of NAB Rawalpindi at the Civic Centre, G-6, Islamabad.
The bureau had summoned him twice, directing him to appear on November 10 and November 13 at 11:00 am to record his statement regarding the allegations.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026