Implementation committee of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) unearthed massive irregularities and mismanagement and directed secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis to hold internal audits of all the housing schemes being run by the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation.
The meeting was chaired by Yasmeen Rehman on Wednesday, which reviewed the implementation status of the decision being taken regarding Overseas Pakistanis Division. Rehman showed utter displeasure on the affairs of the Ministry in utilisation of money being sent by Pakistanis living abroad. Audit pointed out irregularities and frauds in acquiring lands for OPF's housing scheme at Lahore in 1990. For acquiring of land for the scheme, the management of OPF entered into agreement with M/s Kamal Nasir on July 1990 for purchase of 2000 kanals of land situated at main Raiwind Road Lahore at the rate of Rs 95,000 per kanal.
As per agreement the contractor was required to provide the land in compact block with front of 1000 feet for road and was bound to transfer the title of land in the name of OPF by January 31,1991 free from all encumbrances of litigation. Despite giving certain extensions, the contractor could provide only 536 kanal of land, in a number of pieces in violation of the agreement. The contractor also failed in providing front as envisaged in the agreement and committed certain other irregularities.
The audit is of the view that the contractor had failed in providing the land as per agreement and committed certain frauds in provision of land. The secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis said a performance audit of various departments of OPF has been completed and soon be shared with audit officers. The committee further reviewed the audit accounts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and directed the Additional Secretary Foreign Office, Naeem Khan to resolve the pending audit accounts in Departmental Account Committee.
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