ISLAMABAD: Former management of a private housing society — Jammu and Kashmir Co-operative Housing Society (JKCHS) — has been involved in the embezzlement of 400 billion rupees with 42 inquiries initiated against it by deputy commissioner Islamabad and 12 cases registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) but nothing has been recovered out of the embezzled amount, federal government admitted in the upper house of Parliament on Wednesday.
These startling details were shared in a written reply by Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in the Senate sitting, in response to a question by Senator Behramand Tangi from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) during question hour.
The PPP lawmaker asked the interior minister about details of 42 inquiries initiated by deputy commissioner/ registrar cooperatives Islamabad against the former management of JKCHS, the number of persons penalised and amount recovered so far.
In response, the interior minister informed, 42 inquiries were ordered by the registrar cooperatives to investigate the fraud case, out of which, 15 inquiries have been concluded wherein embezzlement of Rs 400 billion has established.
In this regard, the minister’s reply said, 12 FIRs (first information reports) have been registered by the FIA on the recommendation of DC/ registrar cooperatives Islamabad.
Naseem Anjum, ex-finance secretary of JKCHS is arrested whereas Muhammad Zaheer, ex-executive secretary JKCHS is on bail from a high court in one case, the reply reads.
“However, no amount has been recovered till date,” it adds.
Later, the opposition lambasted the government for not bringing the National Security Policy (NSP) in the Parliament.
Charged oppositions senators protested and encircled the desk of Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani as the chaired failed to keep the House in order.
“It has become a habitual practice on part of the opposition lawmakers to encircle the chair’s desk. This is just unacceptable. You go back to your seats,” Sanjrani kept telling the opposition senators who refused to listen to him.
The opposition members then walked out of Senate hall in protest of the government’s policy regarding NSP. They returned back in the House but verbal clashes with treasury benches continued throughout the Senate sitting.
PPP Parliamentary Leader in Senate Sherry Rehman said the opposition learnt from newspapers regarding the NSP. “The Senate doesn’t know at all what NSP is all about. We need to know why this policy hasn’t been shared with Senate?” she asked.
“We have been told that there would be significant changes in Pakistan’s economic outlook due to the new National Security Policy and that economy would be the central priority in this policy. Is it even believable? You have mortgaged the State Bank of Pakistan to IMF (International Monetary Fund). Now, the SBP would be answerable to international imperialist powers instead of federal government,” Rehman said.
Leader of the House in Senate Dr Shahzad Waseem credited Prime Minister Imran Khan for making Pakistan’s first-ever NSP. He said the draft of NSP was shared in the meeting of Parliamentary Committee on National Security, which the opposition boycotted. “People in uniform were not there in the meeting of Parliamentary Committee on National Security— so the opposition boycotted it. Whenever people in uniform are there in the meetings, opposition leaders rush to attend those huddles,” he said, adding that the PM did not attend a previous meeting of the parliamentary panel, as well, but the opposition attended that meeting “because people in uniform were in attendance.”
Waseem added, “Your (opposition’s) leaders were in the United States, sitting on benches with CVs in their hands—and you are taunting us for going to the imperialist powers…”
Before the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI’s) incumbent government, different governments went to the IMF 21 times, he added.
The opposition kept chanting antigovernment slogans during Waseem’s speech.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs State Minister Ali Muhammad Khan claimed in Senate that Pakistan Railways was generating annual revenue of Rs 48 billion. He said steps have been taken to prevent accidents involving railway tracks with the closure of 156 unauthorised and 40 unmanned crossings, which, he said, has resulted in reduction in accidents related to railway tracks.
Mushtaq Ahmed from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Azam Nazeer Tarar from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) sought from the government the details of retired military personnel employed in National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
The parliamentary affairs state minister assured them to provide the relevant details. The Senate session has been prorogued.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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