ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned former federal minister for communications Asad Mahmood in an investigation into alleged illegal recruitment and financial irregularities at the Pakistan Post Office during his tenure.
NAB’s Rawalpindi office has directed Mahmood to appear before its investigation team at 11am on November 10, 2026, to record his statement and present his position on the allegations.
According to the notice, the investigation concerns recruitment and alleged irregularities at the Pakistan Post Office during 2022 and 2023, when Mahmood served as federal minister for communications.
Mahmood was appointed to the post on April 19, 2022, in the coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He remained in office until August 10, 2023. The Pakistan Post Office operated under the administrative control of the Ministry of Communications.
The NAB notice states that the Establishment Division had authorised the recruitment of 3,938 people against sanctioned posts at the Pakistan Post Office. However, 4,252 people were allegedly hired, exceeding the approved number.
The notice also refers to appointments against 2,646 abolished posts, describing them as a violation of instructions issued by the Cabinet Committee.
According to NAB, the recruitment process was supposed to involve the selection of candidates through a testing agency on a contractual basis. However, the notice alleges that a large number of permanent appointments were made instead, creating an additional financial burden on the Pakistan Post Office.
The investigation also covers allegations that some appointments were made on political grounds, that candidates submitted fake or forged documents, that overage applicants were recruited and that the prescribed domicile quota was violated.
NAB has warned that failure to comply with the summons could lead to legal proceedings under Section 31 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.
Separately, the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Anti-Corruption Circle in Islamabad had also summoned Mahmood to record his statement on November 2 in connection with the same matter.
The FIA is investigating alleged corruption and serious irregularities in Pakistan Post Office recruitment under inquiry No. 197/2026.
The parallel investigations by NAB and the FIA raise questions about who authorised appointments beyond the approved vacancies, who approved recruitment against abolished posts and who was responsible for the alleged violations of the prescribed hiring procedure.
Political Tensions Between Fazlur Rehman and Federal Government
The developments come amid political tensions between Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the federal government.
In recent National Assembly sessions, Fazlur Rehman criticised the government over its policies on counterterrorism, its performance and the proposed imposition of emergency or governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Tensions escalated further in the final week of October after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) issued notices concerning Fazlur Rehman’s residence in Islamabad and seminaries associated with him.
Separately, the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) issued a notice regarding part of Mufti Mahmood Centre, stating that around 52 feet of the facility allegedly fell within the prescribed setback area along Ring Road.
The authority described the disputed portion as an encroachment on government land and a public passage.
