IHC issues notices to ICAP, ICMAP over foreign travel details

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued notices to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) and the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants (ICMAP) over their failure to provide the foreign travel details and expenditures of their council members for the last five years.

ICAP is the regulatory body for chartered accountants in Pakistan, while ICMAP is a professional body for cost and management accountants.

Petitioner Jamshed Mir had sought details of the foreign travel of council members from both regulatory bodies.

The petitioner contended that over the past few years, council members — including office bearers, former council members, and other members — of ICAP and ICMAP have undertaken frequent foreign trips, purportedly for official duties, delegations, and related assignments.

"These travels have been financed from the institutes' funds. However, the manner and frequency of these expenditures have raised questions of misuse, resulting in litigation among stakeholders, and have been criticised by media outlets, which have published reports highlighting concerns over the transparency of such spending," the application submitted to both bodies said.

"In the interest of transparency, accountability, and responsible use of public monies, you are requested to kindly provide the following information for each foreign trip undertaken during the past five (05) years by any council member (including office bearers), past council members, ICMAP members travelling on behalf of the Institute and any other ICMAP official."

Subsequently, the petitioner approached the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) for the same purpose but was unable to obtain any information.

A single-judge bench of the IHC, headed by Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas, is hearing the petition in which the PIC's inaction on the petitioner's application has been challenged.