The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned former communications minister Asad Mahmood to answer for alleged irregularities regarding recruitment at the Pakistan Post Office. Mahmood, the son of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, served as the federal minister for communications in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led coalition government following the ouster of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in April 2022.
NAB has directed Mahmood to appear before its investigation team on November 10 at 11am. The investigation focuses on appointments made during his tenure between 2022 and 2023. According to the NAB notice, while the Establishment Division authorized recruitment for 3,938 vacancies, 4,252 people were allegedly recruited, exceeding the approved number.
The notice further alleges that appointments were made against 2,646 abolished vacancies, which violated instructions from the cabinet committee. NAB also stated that permanent appointments were made despite recommendations to hire on a contractual basis through a testing agency. Additional allegations in the notice include the use of fake and bogus documents, the recruitment of overage candidates, and violations of the domicile quota.
NAB warned that if Mahmood fails to comply with the summons, he could face legal proceedings under Section 31 of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999.
In a separate matter, the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) anti-corruption circle in Islamabad has also issued a summons to Mahmood regarding the Pakistan Post recruitment investigation. The FIA had previously directed the former minister to appear on November 2 at 11am to record his statement concerning alleged serious irregularities and corruption during his time as communications minister.






