Apropos a news item 'Installation of equipment at PSO pumps: annulment of contract to Israeli firm sought' carried by Business Recorder on Tuesday, a PSO spokesperson has said that the time period of the said contract is not of a time pertaining to the current management. The contract was signed by the previous management and procurement of Vehicle Identification System (VIS) took place in 2006 and implementation.
"A point to note is that the current Managing Director, PSO, Irfan Qureshi started his tenure as MD in March 2009. Just two months later, in May 2009, when a red flag was raised by Internal Audit on the VIS contract, Qureshi immediately put a stop to further installation of VIS.
Furthermore, the company clarified that Tariq Akbar Khan, present GM Logistics, was not in the company at the time of the VIS contract. Moreover, he was actually terminated on political grounds in 1997 and not on corruption charges. Khan was reinstated in July 2008 and is not protecting any mismanagement in the company.
The matter has been referred to Secretary Petroleum & Natural Resources to investigate the issue and then to forward to the joint committee of Senate Standing Committee of Interior and National Assembly Standing Committee for Petroleum & Natural Resources. PSO, a responsible corporate citizen of Pakistan, realising its responsibility, shall ensure all possible co-operation to the authorities to ensure that people responsible for such a deal are held accountable."
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