Mahmood Riyaz has been reinstated as the Deputy Commissioner of Customs, following a decision by the President's Office to reverse his earlier dismissal, which occurred last month.
Mahmood Riyaz was dismissed from his position on 29 October after the Parliament's Committee on National Security Services (also known as the 241 Committee) investigated allegations of smuggling a large shipment of cigarettes cartons and its subsequent theft from a customs bonded warehouse.
However, a subsequent review by the same committee concluded that Mahmood Riyaz had no direct involvement in the incidents under investigation.
Following this finding, the committee recommended to the President that Mahmood Riyaz be reinstated to his position.
The Chief Spokesperson for the President's Office, Heena Waleed, confirmed the reinstatement saying that the President had followed the committee’s recommendation following the conclusion that Mahmood Riyaz had no involvement in the matter.
Mahmood Riyaz's dismissal followed the committee's initial review, which also resulted in the dismissal of another senior customs official, Deputy Commissioner Abdulla Waheed. Unlike Mahmood Riyaz, the committee did not recommend the reinstatement of Abdulla Waheed to the President.