ISLAMABAD -
Finance Minister Asad Umar has made yet another example of merit and honesty in the history of Pakistan.
He has turned down a summary seeking favour for his elder brother.
He has rejected the summary that sought relaxation of rules to give pension to Sindh’s former governor Muhammad Zubair, who happens to be the minister’s elder brother.
The summary had been moved during the caretaker setup by the Cabinet Division, said sources in the finance ministry. The former governors are entitled to pension equivalent to 80% of their monthly salary. However, the minimum requirement for getting the pension is that the governor should remain in office for at least two years.
Zubair was appointed in February 2017 by the last Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government and he opted to honourably resign in August this year after Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) formed the government at the Centre.
He remained Sindh governor for one-and-a-half year, falling short of the minimum requirement of two years. However, based on past precedents, the Cabinet Division moved a summary to the finance ministry to condone the two years condition.
The finance minister, however, turned down the summary while citing conflict of interest as reason. The Cabinet Division secretary was not available for comments.