ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: The nomination by the Supreme Court of former bureaucrat Tariq Khosa as head of a one-man commission to investigate the memo scandal has become a cause of concern for the government and the presidency as they believe that he was `unhappy` after removal from the post of director general of Federal Investigation Agency.

Sources told Dawn on Friday that the PPP feared Mr Khosa would not hold a fair inquiry into the scam because of personal differences with key figures in the government.There was no word from Mr Khosa whether he had accepted the offer to head the commission.

Many unsuccessful attempts were made to contact him.

`We believe that if Mr Khosa is made head of the inquiry commission he will try to settle old scores, said a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari. He said Mr Khosa was not happy with the government when he had been removed from the FIA.

Former law minister Babar Awan has already questioned the nomination of Mr Khosa at a press confer-ence by saying that he was a brother of the Punjab chief secretary and a judge of the Supreme Court.

But those who worked with Mr Khosa called him an `upright` man and a `clean` government officer.

Mr Khosa, an officer of police service, also served as secretary of the ministry of narcotics control and director general of the National Police Bureau.

The legal fraternity, however, gave a mixed reaction to the formation of the commission, nomination of Mr Khosa and placing the name of former ambassador to the US HusainHaqqani on the exit control list.

Senior lawyers, including Aitzaz Ahsan of Pakistan People`s Party, Furrukh Saleem and Athar Minallah, were of the opinion that the Supreme Court had the authority to order constitution of an inquiry commission.

`Not only the Supreme Court, but high courts can also constitute such commissions to know facts, Mr Ahsan said.

In June last year, the Supreme Court had directed the government to appoint Mr Khosa as head of a commission to investigate the Bankof Punjab scam, but it did not comply with the order.

The National Accountability Bureau had sent to the establishment division a letter seeking services of Mr Khosa to probe the Rs9billion scam. But the government was reported to be reluctant to get his services for the reasons best known to it.

Mr Khosa had initiated the move to get Hamesh Khan, the principal accused in the BoP scam and its former chairman, repatriated from the United States. Hamesh had allegedly provided heavy loans totop politicians and other influential people which were never returned to the bank.

Mr Khosa was also investigating the alleged involvement of a federal minister in a human trafficking case. This was believed to be the main reason behind his removal from the FIA.

The Supreme Court had taken notice of his removal and asked the government to reinstate him, but the government did not pay heed to the order and instead appointed him as secretary of the Narcotics Control Division.