Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has directed a sub-committee for conducting inspection to investigate into different irregularities in Hazara University, Mansehra and presentation of a comprehensive report in the meeting of the committee. The meeting of the Public Accounts Committee held Wednesday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, Abbottabad with Speaker Asad Qaiser in the chair. Those who attended were included MPAs Syed Jaffar Shah, Syed Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha, Mufti Said Janan, Qurban Ali and Idrees Khattak.
The committee discussed in detail audits reports of the years 2007-08 and 2008-09 regarding Chief Minister Secretariat, Hazara, Peshawar and Bannu universities and took several important decisions in this regard. PAC expressed anguish over direct expenditures on maintenance and repair of different residential quarters instead of following the procedure of open tendering system by Hazara University, Mansehra during financial year 2008-09 and warned that in future the committee will take stern notice of such irregularities and no leniency will be shown with anyone.
The committee expressed strong reaction over advance payment of Rs 83.2 million collected in head of different fees from the students to Project Director of the University of Science and Technology Bannu and expressed dismay that in such long period neither the amount was recovered nor any proceeding was initiated in this regard.
On this occasion, the committee was told that comprehensive investigations have been conducted into the matter and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is also investigating in this regard. The committee directed the writing of negative remarks in the annual confidential report (ACR) of the concerned officer for committing negligence. The committee also expressed anguish over the contents and use of uncivilised language in the letter of the Registrar of the University of Peshawar regarding the absence of the Vice Chancellor from the meeting and stated that the letter and its manner has not only breached the privilege of the chairman, rather of the whole committee and ordered the presence of the concerned personalities in next meeting.
The Speaker, KP Assembly stressed severe need for review over conveyance allowance, medical allowance, house rent and hard & unattractive areas allowances to make them according to prevailing situation and time requirement. He said that in this regard he is fully agree with the audit objections, but in the modern era grounds realities should also be taken into consideration and we would have to come out of the limits of the rules. He said that in case of the existence of any law in this regard then they could be amended according to present requirements. He said that he will ensure full support to any such debate.
Besides, Additional Secretary Assembly, Amjad Ali Khan, Additional Secretary, Israr Mohammad, Director, Audit, Asadullah Khan, Deputy Secretary, Taj Mohammad, Director General (DG) Audit, Javed Iqbal, Vice Chancellors, Hazara, Bannu Universities, Assistant Secretaries Provincial Assembly, Haris Khan and Shahid Rehman, senior officers of other concerned departments also attended the meeting.