Rangers’ commercial activities draw PAC ire

Committee seeks details on ‘coercive’ contributions from employees<br />

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday took an exception to Pakistan Rangers’ decades-old practice of ‘illegally’ collecting contributions from its employees by applying ‘coercive’ means and undertaking commercial activities without having any legal mandate.

The committee grilled the Pakistan Rangers Sindh officers “for indulging into practices that are deemed illegal”.

PAC Chairman Syed Khursheed Shah also snubbed Colonel Sohail for his ‘rude’ behaviour in the committee for which the colonel had to tender an apology.

The PAC directed Interior Secretary Arshad Mirza to submit details on the contributions mechanism adopted by Sindh Rangers and commercial activities that it was undertaking without having a mandate.

The director general (federal audit) informed the PAC that the Rangers were collecting contributions from its low-ranked employees for welfare purposes without any legal mandate. During FY2015-16 alone, the Rangers had collected Rs146 million from the employees, he informed the committee.

The audit objection showed that the Rangers were taking Rs454 per month from a maid, Rs465 from sepoy and lance naik-level officials and Rs569 from other non-commissioned officers. The brief did not provide details of the contributions made by officers holding ranks of captain, major and colonel.

“Low-ranked officials are being coerced into making those contributions,” said Dr Azra Fazal of the PPP, adding, “When asked by a senior, no employee would deny making a contribution just to avoid any untoward situation.”

Colonel Sohail angrily rejected Dr Azra’s remarks, inviting the wrath of the PAC chairman who asked him to behave and not to show anger. He said that high-rank officers were also making contributions, but he did not disclose their contributions.

The PAC asked him to find a way to finance the welfare schemes to avoid putting burden on the low-ranked low-paid employees.

The Rangers were also indulged in nine types of commercial activities like running shooting clubs, petrol filling stations, printing press, canteens and public model schools, according to the director general.

He said the issue had also been discussed by the PAC in 2002 but no improvement was made despite a lapse of more than 15 years.

PAC member Ashiq Gopang questioned how the Rangers could indulge in commercial activities without having any legal mandate to which the Rangers officer had no answer. The audit was seeking details of the revenues generated by undertaking such activities.

The PAC members observed that Pakistan Rangers were running commercial projects in almost every district of Sindh, which was beyond their mandate.

 

PTI sit-in

The PAC regularised Rs695.6 million expenditures incurred on the provision of food and other facilities to about 2,200 police personnel that had been engaged during the 2014 sit-in staged by the Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf.

The finance ministry had paid the amount in cash to Islamabad Police. The police administration also procured food without calling tenders to get better price, which was also in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority’s rules of 2004.

The Inspector General of Islamabad Police said that the food had been procured in an emergent situation and there was no sufficient time to meet the procedural requirements

Out of Rs695.5 million, the expenses on food amounted to Rs326.8 million. The procurements were also made from relatively expensive restaurants. But the food was not supplied to the police force that had been deployed to ensure protection of vital installations.

The PAC set aside all the audit objections and regularised the Rs695.5 million expenditures.