FIA seeks action against Asad Mahmood, raises questions over alleged Islamabad properties

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has reportedly declared former federal minister for communications Maulana Asad Mahmood a willful defaulter and fugitive from questioning in an inquiry into alleged irregularities in Pakistan Post recruitment while separate claims about two properties in Islamabad's G-6/4 sector have also drawn attention.

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has reportedly declared former federal minister for communications Maulana Asad Mahmood a willful defaulter and fugitive from questioning in an inquiry into alleged irregularities in Pakistan Post recruitment while separate claims about two properties in Islamabad’s G-6/4 sector have also drawn attention.

According to documents cited in a report by Minute Mirror the case concerns FIA Inquiry No. 197/2026 and 4,252 permanent appointments allegedly made during Asad Mahmood’s tenure as communications minister from April 2022 to August 2023.

The FIA Anti-Corruption Circle, Islamabad reportedly found that 2,646 appointments were made against abolished posts while another 314 were allegedly made without budget allocations or the required clearances from the Establishment and Finance divisions. The remaining 1,292 appointments were also allegedly carried out in violation of recruitment rules.

The inquiry further alleges that testing procedures were bypassed age-limit relaxations were granted and candidate lists were approved without proper verification. It also refers to alleged links with a ministry contractor identified as Amanullah s/o Muhammad Younus.

FIA summons and proposed action

According to the reported inquiry record, Asad Mahmood was summoned on October 30 to appear before FIA investigators on November 2 at the agency’s Islamabad office. He was asked to bring official documents relating to recruitment approvals, testing exemptions, age relaxations and financial dealings with the contractor.

A subsequent inquiry note reportedly stated that the summons had been served but Asad Mahmood did not appear at the appointed time. The document records that investigators treated his absence as deliberate and classified him as a willful defaulter and fugitive from FIA questioning.

The agency reportedly recommended converting the inquiry into a regular FIR under provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code relating to criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery and abetment, along with relevant anti-corruption legislation.

It also proposed placing his name on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) and forwarding the inquiry record to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The report said NAB had summoned him for November 10.

Questions over Islamabad properties

Separately claims have emerged about two houses on Street 83 in G-6/4, Islamabad.

House No. 7 described in the report as the residence of Maulana Fazlur Rehman is allegedly registered in the name of Amanullah the contractor mentioned in the recruitment inquiry.

House No. 11 is described as a four-kanal property under construction allegedly linked to Asad Mahmood but registered in the name of Javed Iqbal, a resident of Karak. Its estimated value has been put at Rs2 billion while the report also refers to notices reportedly issued by the Capital Development Authority over alleged building regulation violations.

The report raises questions about the alleged connections of Amanullah and Javed Iqbal with the JUI-F leadership, their financial resources and the actual ownership of the properties. However, it acknowledges that the ownership claims estimated value and alleged benami arrangements have not been independently verified through official land records or the Federal Board of Revenue.

Official responses awaited

The report said FIA and JUI-F representatives had been contacted for their positions but formal responses had not been received at the time of publication. It also noted that no formal FIR number had been made public and NAB had not issued a comment.

The allegations concerning the properties and recruitment process remain subject to verification and any subsequent findings by the relevant authorities.