Public Accounts Committee: Losing patience, PAC decides to tell on BoR

CM had ordered an inquiry into the department after corruption allegations.

KARACHI: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly has decided to tell on the officials of the Board of Revenue, Sindh, after the latter kept flouting their orders.

The lethargic attitude of the board’s officials and allegations of fraud did not help the case, so the committee members are planning to complain to the chief minister (CM). The meeting on Wednesday was convened on the orders of the CM to probe the allegations against the board of misappropriating Rs7.8 million.

The board officers were accused of committing fraud in the landless-peasant project, being run by the provincial government. During the audit, the department also failed to show proper records of Rs561 million.



Losing patience with the board officials, PAC chairperson Jam Tamachi Unar ordered his secretary to write a letter to the chief minister informing him how his orders are being flouted and that the officials do not even bother to attend the meetings.

PAC member MPA Ghulam Mujadid Isran told the committee that several reminders were sent to the department but they were avoiding the meeting. “The PAC contacted the senior members of the boars and the CM ordered an inquiry against their department, but no one bothered to show up,” he said.

According to Isran, the initial inquiry into the department came after the media took up the auditor general of Pakistan’s report on massive corruption in the accounts of the board. This prompted the CM to order a joint inquiry by the PAC and the CM Inspection Team (CMIT).



“These officials have not only defied the orders of the CM, but have breached the privilege of the PAC and its members,” said MPA Amir Moin Pirzada, another member of the PAC. He suggested, “the legislators move a privilege motion against this kind of attitude of bureaucrats running the department”.

MPA Bachal Shah pointed out the board is considered a lucrative department and officials working in the department do not listen to to elected representatives.

CMIT chairperson Subhan Memon informed the PAC members that they have issued notices to the relevant officials and they would inquire if the media reports were true or not. “After the investigation, we will find out who was responsible in the board of revenue department or was negligent in the case,” he said.

The PAC members suggested that a week-long session be conducted to probe the allegations, but Unar insisted that the PAC take up the issue on the meeting on January 8.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2012.