C
commander
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Khalid Mirza sacked
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=24327
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Did PM do cement lobbys bidding?
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Chairman Competition Commission of Pakistan Khalid Mirza was sacked rather unceremoniously by Prime Minister Gilani on Friday, who also appointed Additional Secretary Planning Javed Akhtar as the new Chairman after promoting him to Grade 22.
The abrupt termination came within hours of the Mirza led Competition Commission imposing a hefty fine of Rs 6 billion on the cement cartel of the country. Mirza had also told Geo Television earlier in the day that the cement cartel comprising the cement producers of the country had ganged up since 1992 and had been manipulating prices by controlling productions through a mutual unethical and illegal understanding hammered out amongst themselves. The fine had followed a long and exhaustive investigation by the commission.
In his comments made to Geo TV, Khalid Mirza had opined the criminal members of the cement cartel also deserved to be imprisoned for upto 10 years, as that would have been the sentence for such a crime in many civilised countries of the world.
A close aide of former chairman CCP, Khalid Mirza, told The News on Friday night that any member or chairman of the CCP could be removed only if a court of inquiry proved any charge against them.
Such removal is unlawful in accordance with the Competition Ordinance, he added. He said that the tenure of former chairman CCP Khalid Mirza was to expire in July 2010. Khalid Mirza, according to his close aide, is considering challenging his removal in a court of law but has not yet taken any final decision. He said that Mirza had taken actions against influential business tycoons on allegations of cartelization and his removal posed serious question about the governments intention to ensure rule of law and good governance in the country.
