Expressing displeasure over the extension in contract of Saeed-ur-Rehman, member finance CDA, despite his involvement in National Logistic Cell scam, the monitoring and implementation committee of the Public Accounts Committee on Thursday sought details of foreign or government funded projects being run by Non-Governmental Organizations.
The committee, which met here with Yasmeen Rehman in the chair, expressed serious concern over the extension granted to Saeed-ur-Rehman by the prime minister and said that Rehman was a culprit in its eyes and he was working as chief financial officer at the time when NLC faced loss of billions of rupees by imprudent investment in stock exchange on money borrowed from banks.
It is pertinent to mention here that the PAC has recently ordered for early initiation of proceedings against three retired generals who were found involved in NLC scandal when GHQ failed to submit its probe report before the committee within the PAC’s set deadline of June 30.
The committee was further informed by audit officials that National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) had received Rs 1.6 billion from public exchequer but under an agreement with the finance division the organization was not bound for any audit of its financial accounts. The committee directed that all NGOs which would get government funding would have to go through audit.
The monitoring and implementation committee of the PAC also sought details of foreign or government funded projects being run by NGOs. Syed Gulzar Hussain, DG federal audit told the committee that NGOs had been provided Rs 4.5 billion in the past but the government seemed helpless before such organizations. He said no monitoring mechanism had been evolved to check the spending of such non-government organizations.
He said there was no monitoring mechanism in the NRSP too, adding that it was funded by the government completely. He said the funds had not provided for the purchase of luxury vehicles and for paying heavy salary packages. The committee also sought details of retired civil/military officials working with NRSP. Yasmeen Rehman also ordered a financial and efficiency audit of NRSP.
DG federal audit further told the committee that Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) had received Rs 1 trillion from the World Bank but its accounts also could not be audited. He said NGOs were getting grants from government for last 35 years without audit of their accounts.
