PAC panel reviews audit objections of housing ministry

Lawmakers told FBR's court cases involve a whopping Rs1.46 trillion

ISLAMABAD:

The review and implementation committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was informed on Monday that the court cases of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) involved a whopping amount of Rs1.46 trillion, which were still pending.

The committee expressed it displeasure over the non-recovery of rent of shops, petrol pumps and stores worth more than Rs60 million by the Estate Office, Karachi, and summoned a detailed report on within seven days.

The committee met with its convenor Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the chair. The meeting reviewed the audit objections of the housing and works ministry for the years 2004-05 to 2009-10. The housing secretary briefed the committee that out of 7,800 government houses in Karachi, about half were illegally occupied.

he said that these houses were given to the civil servants. In the beginning they used to pay the rent, he added, but "when we tried to vacate the houses", the people came out on roads, the raised fires in protest, adn damaged vehicles .

"The case was now in the Supreme Court," the housing secretary told the committee. The convenor of the committee said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) should send its proposal on this issue to the committee in writing.

The meeting also discussed the issue of rent of shops, stores and petrol pumps in Karachi by the Estate Office, Karachi. the housing ministry officials told the committee that the leases of some shops had expired. The housing secretary said that it had been decided not to extend the lease.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq directed the ministry to provide all the details related to the lease for the audit. He also asked the ministry officials to clearly state the timeframe when those properties would be vacated.

During the meeting, committee member Khawaja Asif remarked that whoever wields any power, misused the authority but the politicians were blamed for every wrongdoing. "Politicians are the most-oppressed in this country," he added.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that the FBR has informed the committee about the amount of its pending cases. "FBR cases worth Rs1.46 trillion are pending," he said. Khawaja Asif quipped that politicians had not embazzled even 10% of this amount. "Hold someone else accountable also."