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FIA Declares Asad Mahmood Defaulter in Pakistan Post CasePakistan
The FIA has recommended putting the JUI-F leader on the stop list and turning its inquiry into a criminal case, after he failed to appear over alleged illegal appointments at Pakistan Post.
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The Federal Investigation Agency has declared Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl leader Maulana Asad Mahmood a deliberate defaulter and an absconder from its investigation, after he failed to appear before investigators despite being formally summoned. The move marks a sharp escalation in the probe into alleged illegal recruitments at Pakistan Post.
The FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle has recommended placing Asad Mahmood’s name on the Provisional National Identification List and the stop list, which would restrict his travel. FIA officials have also recommended converting the ongoing inquiry into a formal criminal case and registering a first information report under the relevant legal provisions.
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The agency had summoned Asad Mahmood on 2 November to appear in connection with its investigation into alleged illegal appointments in Pakistan Post. However, he failed to appear before the investigators. The FIA has launched inquiry number 197/2026 into alleged serious irregularities and corruption in recruitment at Pakistan Post.
The National Accountability Bureau is pursuing a parallel inquiry. NAB Rawalpindi has directed Asad Mahmood to appear before an investigation team at 11am on 10 November 2026. The bureau has warned that failure to comply with the summons could lead to proceedings under Section 31 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.
The investigation centres on alleged irregularities in Pakistan Post during 2022 and 2023, when Asad Mahmood was the federal minister for communications. According to the NAB notice, the Establishment Division had approved recruitment against 3,938 posts in Pakistan Post, but 4,252 people were allegedly hired, taking recruitment beyond the approved strength.
The notice further alleges that 2,646 appointments were made against posts that had already been abolished, in breach of instructions from a cabinet committee. The inquiry is also examining whether recruitment was carried out without proper testing and screening, and whether reserved quotas for women, minorities, persons with disabilities and former servicemen were violated.
Asad Mahmood is the son of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and legal proceedings are also under way against Fazlur Rehman, Asad Mahmood and other party leaders in corruption-related and other cases. The matters remain allegations under investigation, and a summons or an inquiry is not a finding of guilt. No response from Asad Mahmood to the latest FIA action had been reported.
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