Shoddy recordkeeping: Minority lawmakers fail to account for Rs2.4b in development funds

Discretionary funds released between 2008 and 2013 remain untraced by govt auditors

ISLAMABAD:

For all the challenges faced by the 10 million Pakistanis who are members of religious minority communities, their elected representatives in Parliament appear to have added another.

More than Rs2.4 billion allocated between 2008 and 2013 by the Zardari Administration for the uplift of these communities cannot be accounted for because the lawmakers placed in charge of spending them have refused to cooperate with government auditors.

 



 

An examination by The Express Tribune of government records suggests that there was, at best, massive impropriety and negligence in record-keeping for these development funds, if not outright embezzlement.

Eleven lawmakers, who represent 2.8 million non-Muslim voters, did not provide details of where they spent the money and also refused to cooperate with government auditors investigating their projects.

 



 

The funds are part of the Rs125 billion allocated by Prime Ministers Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf between 2008 and 2013 to lawmakers for discretionary development spending, an amount nearly four times larger than the Rs33.8 billion made in similar allocations in the preceding 23 years (1985 to 2008).

Yet far from admitting the flaws in their bookkeeping, some lawmakers are complaining that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has not released more such funds to them.

 



 

Ramesh Lal of the Pakistan Peoples Party, who received Rs735 million for development projects between 2008 and 2013, complained about the paucity of funds. “It has been two years. We minorities? MNAs [from opposition] have yet to receive our promised funds,” he told The Express Tribune.

Lal, whose schemes were not audited by the Auditor General of Pakistan, claimed that he spent all funds on Sain Saad Raam Mandar in Ghotki, Sasdani Darbar in Mirpur Mathelo, Audhoro Lal in Matiari, Hingal Matha in Lasbela and some other religious places in the country. But he glibly refused to comment on possible misappropriations in these projects.

 



 

Another Rs16 million were allocated to Interfaith Harmony Minister Shahbaz Bhatti of the PPP, who was gunned down in 2011 for his support of reforming the blasphemy law, but no records of his development projects were found. Similarly, Akram Masih Gill of the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid), a PPP coalition partner, got Rs265 million but failed to submit reports on the execution of proposed projects, and was never audited.

 



 

A lack of recordkeeping by minority lawmakers appears to be an issue that cuts across party lines. Nelson Azeem of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz received Rs60 million for discretionary development spending, also failed to provide records of where that money went, but complained that he received less money during the PPP administration than during the government of his own party.

 



 

A small portion of those funds were spent on the renovation of an old convention hall in Sialkot, working women's hostels in Lahore and Gujranwala. He dodged a question when asked where he spent the remaining funds. “All funds were spent on community welfare. Collection of records is difficult at the moment,” Azeem said.

 



 

Lal Chand of the PPP got Rs185million in discretionary development funds but did not furnish reports of execution. Mahesh Kumar of the PPP, who got Rs265 million, claimed that he has completed all of his projects, including road networks, water supply schemes, schools, dispensaries, etc. in Tharparkar.

 



 

Darshan Punshi of PML-N was allocated Rs131 million, and none of his projects have been audited by the AGP. The same happened with all proposed schemes by Kishan Chand of the PML-Q who got Rs75 million in discretionary development projects. Araish Kumar of PML-N got Rs205 million. Manwar Lal of Muttahida Qaumi Movement got Rs220 million, and Khatu Mal Jewan of PPP, Rs95 million. None of them have submitted adequate documentation of where they spent the money.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2015.