A subcommittee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Wednesday directed the chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to present the details of the inquiries forwarded by the panel to the bureau over the past one-and-a-half-year.
The PAC subcommittee, which met here under the chairmanship of Member of National Assembly Noor Alam Khan, directed the NAB representative to present the record of the 10 inquiries sent by the panel to anti-corruption watchdog with what actions have so far been taken against the people concerned.
The panel discussed and reviewed audit paras of Ministry of Climate Change, Council of Islamic Ideology, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Wafaqi Mohtasib for the year 2016-17.
While settling the para related to Wafaqi Mohtasib, the convener committee asked the department to provide all the details of the actions taken in resolving complains of the people in four provinces along with Islamabad Capital Territory.
The NAB officials briefing the panel said that 12 inquiries were sent by the subcommittee containing 212 audit paras of various ministries and attached departments. The official said that out of 212 paras, 178 paras have been analyzed but so far the officials concerned of Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) have not reordered their statements under section 161 with the NAB. The official added that AGP in a letter written to the NAB has stated the audit department as per policy can not record statements to any of the investigating agency probing any irregularity.
The convener committee said that these cases are forwarded by PAC with directives to the AGP to cooperate with NAB or any other investigating agency. He urged the AGP to cooperate with the NAB on this account so that investigations against the concerned people can be taken forward.
The panel has directed the government to focus on education, health and climate change sectors while allocating budget, saying three sectors have most critical role for the country's survival. Federal secretary Ministry of Climate Change and inspector general (IG) forests briefing the panel said that the ministry is working on the billion tree plantation plan across the country.
The convener committee directed the officials of the Ministry of Climate Change to start banning the use of plastic bags across the country in collaboration with provincial governments and local governments, saying that plastic bags are a major source of pollution and the use of the bags should be stopped.
While discussing the audit paras of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the officials on a query of the convener committee told the panel that chief election commissioner of Pakistan is getting Rs 1 million in salary and Rs 300,000 in allowances, besides official vehicle along with other perks and privileges. The ECP officials further said that each member of the ECP is getting Rs 700,000 as salary and 500 liters of petrol per month.
The convener committee said that a member of the National Assembly is getting only Rs 168,000 salary which includes all the allowances while some media outlets and other people are making huge hue and cry that parliamentarians are looting the country.
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