The Islamabad High Court has directed the Ministry of Finance to clear all outstanding dues and release the monthly pension of former auditor general of Pakistan Akhtar Buland Rana by the end of December.
A single-member bench headed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani issued the directions on Friday while hearing a contempt petition filed by the former AGP over non-implementation of a court order regarding payment of his pension and other dues exceeding Rs256 million.
During the hearing, the court expressed concern over repeated failure to comply with its orders. The finance secretary, represented by the assistant attorney general, sought more time and informed the court that an intra-court appeal filed by the government against the pension order was pending.
Justice Kayani observed that the mere pendency of an appeal does not justify non-compliance with a court order, adding that the authorities must either obtain a stay order or implement the judgment.
The court directed the assistant attorney general to ensure payment of the petitioner’s monthly pension by the end of the month and warned that failure to do so would result in issuance of a contempt notice. It further cautioned that continued non-compliance could lead to freezing of the ministry’s accounts.
