A government spokesman, while justifying controversial appointment of Akhtar Buland Rana as the Auditor General (AG) of Pakistan, on account, inter alia, of his holding dual citizenship, asserted that, Under the law, officers in the government of Pakistan are not barred from possessing dual nationality,. The spokesman perhaps does not know that AGP's terms of service are determined by the Constitution and his appointment is subject to an oath of allegiance to the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan as given hereunder: "That, as Auditor General of Pakistan, I will discharge my duties, and perform my functions, honestly, faithfully, in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the law and to the best of my knowledge, ability and judgment, without fear or favour, affection or ill- will and that I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions". As it is, how can he hold a dual citizenship and say that he will not use his influence in support of his personal interest, especially, when he has already started defending controversy about his appointment as AGP in the media? In fact, the AGP is the servant of the state not of the GoP. In some countries he is even given an ex-officio membership of the national parliament and being a quasi-judicial authority he is also empowered to hold a court. It would not perhaps be out of place here to relate the history of an AGP, Mushtaq Ahmad, who had challenged the authority of a dictator like Ayub Khan to amend certain rule during early sixties. Ayub refused to withdraw the impugned amendment by saying, "Is it I the President of Pakistan or the AGP?". Thereupon the AGP ordered all treasuries to stop payment to govt. servants. A crisis was created. News were floated in the media that the AGP's explanation has been called for by the President but the AGP refuted it by saying that, "I am not answerable to the President but only to the nation through its parliament". Ultimately the President had to give in and get the impugned amendment approved by the parliament as directed by the AGP. Question arises above all: How an AGP whose very appointment is being defended by the GoP by treating him as an ordinary govt. servant can perform his statutory duty of watchdog of the financial operations of that govt. independently? T.S. BOKHARI, Islamabad, September 2.