ECP approached over unpaid phone bills
Defaulters include former PM Ashraf; some have not cleared dues worth Re1.
Former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar
ISLAMABAD:
The National Telecommunication Corporation has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan for help to recover Rs12.14 million in outstanding dues till February 2013 against Members of Parliament who have a telephone/digital subscriber line connection installed in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
NTC formally made a request through a letter that said: “It would be appreciated that necessary instruction for clearance of dues/acquisition of no objection certificates from NTC be made to the parliamentarians to avoid any disruption of service due to non payment; and as it would also help meet the pre-requisites of ECP to avoid any inconvenience in future.”
The ECP had earlier announced that anyone found guilty of outstanding utility bills would not be eligible to participate in the general elections.
According to details, Rs9.56 million is outstanding against 449 working telephone lines and DSL connections, whereas Rs2.57 million is outstanding against 284 disconnected telephone lines. Interestingly, certain MPs’ phone lines were disconnected for not paying outstanding sum as low as one rupee.
However, a senior official from the National Assembly secretariat told The Express Tribune that MPs’ bills did not concern the secretariat. When asked about the procedure for ministers, the official added that their dues are paid by the relevant ministries.
Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf is among the defaulters, owing Rs454,440 when he was minister of information technology and Rs173,324 against a telephone line connection in his flat in the Minister’s Enclave. Former interior minister Rehman Malik owes Rs195,556 against two telephone lines. Other defaulters include former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, deputy speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, leader of the opposition in the NA Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and federal minister for overseas Pakistanis Dr Farooq Sattar.
Mudassar Qayyum Nahra of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz owes Rs23,277.
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s Sardar Bahadur Ahmed Khan is one such former parliamentarian who owes Re1 in arrears.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 28th, 2013.
The National Telecommunication Corporation has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan for help to recover Rs12.14 million in outstanding dues till February 2013 against Members of Parliament who have a telephone/digital subscriber line connection installed in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
NTC formally made a request through a letter that said: “It would be appreciated that necessary instruction for clearance of dues/acquisition of no objection certificates from NTC be made to the parliamentarians to avoid any disruption of service due to non payment; and as it would also help meet the pre-requisites of ECP to avoid any inconvenience in future.”
The ECP had earlier announced that anyone found guilty of outstanding utility bills would not be eligible to participate in the general elections.
According to details, Rs9.56 million is outstanding against 449 working telephone lines and DSL connections, whereas Rs2.57 million is outstanding against 284 disconnected telephone lines. Interestingly, certain MPs’ phone lines were disconnected for not paying outstanding sum as low as one rupee.
However, a senior official from the National Assembly secretariat told The Express Tribune that MPs’ bills did not concern the secretariat. When asked about the procedure for ministers, the official added that their dues are paid by the relevant ministries.
Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf is among the defaulters, owing Rs454,440 when he was minister of information technology and Rs173,324 against a telephone line connection in his flat in the Minister’s Enclave. Former interior minister Rehman Malik owes Rs195,556 against two telephone lines. Other defaulters include former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, deputy speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, leader of the opposition in the NA Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and federal minister for overseas Pakistanis Dr Farooq Sattar.
Mudassar Qayyum Nahra of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz owes Rs23,277.
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s Sardar Bahadur Ahmed Khan is one such former parliamentarian who owes Re1 in arrears.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 28th, 2013.