Plot allotment to judges, bureaucrats: PAC asks provinces to submit record in a week

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday asked all provinces to provide the record of discretionary allotments of plots by the federal government to judges, bureaucrats and journalists within a week. PAC Chairman Nadeem Afzal Chand said that they would move the Supreme Court (SC) if the committee's recommendations were not implemented regarding the allotment of plots to judges, bureaucrats and journalists.
The committee also sent displeasure notice to the chief secretaries of four provinces. The meeting was presided over PAC Chairman Nadeem Afzal Chand and attended by Riaz Fatyana,Abid Sher Ali, Noor Alam Khan, Asiya Nasir, Dr Attiya Inayatullah and the secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Works.
Official of the Ministry of Housing and Works briefed PAC about the allotment of plots to bureaucrats, judges and journalists under the Prime Ministry Special Initiative Scheme. Under the scheme at least 236 plots had been allotted to bureaucrats, judges and journalists in posh sectors. Out of the total, 123 bureaucrats and 15 Supreme Court judges received two residential plots each.
The committee was informed that these plots were allotted by the former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz during the Musharraf regime. Officials also informed the committee that governments of Sindh and Balochistan had refused to provide the record of such allotments. The government of Punjab provided only the record regarding 71 plots. Members of the committee expressed annoyance over non-provision of record.
Nadeem Afzal Chand instructed all provinces to provide record within a week, otherwise the mater would be sent to the privileges committee of parliament. The PAC expressed no-confidence over the briefing of the Ministry of Housing and Works regarding allotment of plots and termed it incomplete.