Whereas the new elected government is to be set up within few days in the country, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), an institution that unmasked major high profile scandals of politicians and bureaucrats, is likely to probe alleged massive embezzlement of public money by the bigwigs of the former ruling party – the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
The NAB Sindh office, in this regard, had so far received a number of complaints against the leaders of the PPP, including former MNAs and provincial ministers that ruled the province for five years. Besides, senior bureaucrats have also been named in the complaints received by the bureau in the recent past, well-placed sources confided in Pakistan Today.
According to the available data, complaints have been received against former MNA and sister of President Asif Zardari, Faryal Talpur, Dr Shafqat Soomro, representative President House Naudero, former Sindh law minister Ayaz Soomro, former deputy commissioners Larkana Abdul Aleem Lashari and Asadullah Abro, former Executive District Officer Works and Services Department Khaliq Dino Mirani, assistant project director Larkana Development Package Ghulam Qadir Sangi, National Highways Authority Director General Asghar Abbas.
“After the general elections of the national and provincial assemblies of Pakistan in the year 2008, the PPP government took over the government and initiated development schemes. One such scheme titled as ‘Development and Beautification of Larkana City’ was launched by the prime minister for which funds worth Rs 12 billion were allocated. The package included reconstruction of the roads, sewerage/drainage lines, public streets and other development work. Consequently, the funds were released as a matching grant by the federal government as well as provincial government on 50 – 50 basis for the development of infrastructure of Larkana City and the rest of old Larkana districts,” according to a complaint filed by a local citizen of Larkana with the accountability court, made exclusively available with Pakistan Today.
“It is an open secret by now that there is no check and balance in the country and the government funds, which are being released at different intervals of time for development schemes, are frequently misappropriated by the government functionaries as is evident from the daily reports of corruption scandals making its way into the electronic as well as the print media. Some high profits scandals cases are pending in the honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan,” it further said.
Earlier reports had suggested that there was misappropriation in funds allocated towards development and rehabilitation of Larkana and the scheme was approved about three to four years back.
More complaints received by the NAB suggested that the roads were constructed with ill planning and the material which had been used in the works was substandard as most money was gobbled by large scale corruption. It was also notified that during the rainy season, rainwater collected on the roads and there were no arrangements of proper flow/disposal of the rainwater.
Meanwhile, the petition also stated, “For instance, the rain water always remains on the road situated at Subhanallah Chowk leading towards Ghinti Phatak (railway crossing) and it is broken at different places up to Paris Inn hotel at the same chowk. The road further leads towards the overhead bridge lying in a bad shape since more than a year.
“These are only few instances brought in the notice of this honorable court, otherwise every newly constructed road has got cracks and damages at various places,” the petition added.
Moreover, the petition stated that none of the roads of Larkana have been improved or widened. In fact, no significant development work had been undertaken in the Larkana town. As a result, the inhabitants of Larkana town have been facing problems of traffic jam, air pollution, filth and stagnant sewerage/drainage water on roads and frequent accidents. The roads were getting narrower each day as there was no implementation of municipal laws here, it added.
The complainant had requested the NAB Sindh director general to order for constitution of a commission based on honest town planners and other technical personnel/officers of some other district, particularly of the metropolis, and also including representatives of civil society to probe into the ill planning, misappropriation/embezzlement of the public money of Larkana Development Package on large scale by the respondents by using the name of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
