The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of National Assembly has summoned the performance report of installed for Machines Readable Passports (MRPs) at various Overseas embassies of Pakistan.
The meeting of PAC, convened by its chairman Nadeem Akhtar Chan reviewed 2007-2008 audit reports for interior ministry has summoned this report within a week’s time, besides details of NADRA’s appointment of two deputy chairmen in contravention of its ordinance.
Expressing its displeasure over DG-passport Wajid Bukhari’s briefing that only 18 out of these 30 machines installed for facilitating overseas Pakistanis with machine-readable passports were not functioning properly, the committee summoned further details within next fortnight.
Auditory authorities further informed the committee that according to regulations State Bank of Pakistan was only authorized to charge Rs2.00 as passport and visa fee, but National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) was charging Rs25 for these services. DG-passports also informed the committee that so far 17million passports had been issued, which could help assimilate the total amount earned by NBP from these services.
Summoning further details of this outrageous overcharging by NBP within 20 days, the committee has ordered NBP to stop this overcharging with immediate effect.
DG-passports also informed the committee that Security Press of Pakistan used to supply necessary paper for printing of 1500 passports, reduced to materiel only for 5000 passports over out-standings.
He also informed PAC that passports department contributed Rs14 billion-worth of revenue to government, yet finance ministry always neglected necessary funding for the department.
The issue of local transportation, alongwith other miscellaneous issues were also debated by committee.