Collected from oil, gas companies: SC seeks details of funds transferred to provinces

SC bench was hearing a case regarding non-spending of funds collected from oil and gas companies


Hasnaat Malik December 04, 2014

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed federal government to submit comprehensive report about how much money, collected from oil and gas exploration and mining companies, transferred to provinces for welfare projects.

The court also ordered chief secretaries and the provincial Social Welfare Ministries’ secretaries to file report on which development projects the amount had been spent on.

The two-member bench headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, while hearing a case regarding non-spending of funds collected from oil and gas companies for development and welfare projects, summoned the attorney general and advocate generals of all the provinces over the non-implementation of the court’s December 27, 2013 judgment on this issue.

During the hearing, Justice Jamali observed that main issue of this country was that for the last 60 years only one section of society is ruling the country. The bench has also questioned how much money had been collected from oil and gas companies.

Deputy Attorney General Sajid Ilyas Bhatti informed the apex court that since 1989, Rs600 billion were collected and out this amount Rs500 billion were given to the provinces as royalty.

Upon this, another member of the bench Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed said that if this amount had been spent on the development project then every district of Pakistan would have become Dubai. He added that as per the claim of the federation that it had given Rs100 billion to province for social welfare then why the ground situation is telling a different story.

Bhatti also told the court that although the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government had established Management Information System (MIS) for receiving and spending of money, but a member of National Assembly Nasir Khan has objection over it. Director General of IT Board of the province informed that the MIS has been uploaded on the K-P government and OGDCL website, adding that the other provinces could also adopt this system.

The Punjab DG IT Board Mohammad Amir told the court that they also had MIS and if the court wants then they could demonstrate in the courtroom.

The petitioner Anwar Nizamani said all this is just the paper work as December 27judgment has not been implemented so far. However, the DAG informed that Social Welfare account has been opened at the federal level and the money received from petroleum consortium had been transferred to the provinces.

The petitioner claimed that some money out of petroleum consortium funds had been given MNAs. He also alleged that before elections an MNA from Sanghar took out Rs150 million and spent on the election campaign.

Deputy attorney general said that Sanghar district was given Rs520million. Upon that Nizamani stated that if this much money had been given to the district then the court could ask the District and Sessions Judge of the district to find out the fact about it.

The bench however said the apex court also has some limitation as it could not interfere in the administrative matters, adding that judiciary is not running the country and courts have to functions within its constitution limits. Justice Azmat said those who have embezzled money should face the consequence.

The hearing of case is adjourned until January 15

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