- PAC notices Khawaja Asif’s claims about bureaucrats.
- The Ministry of the Interior, the establishment department instructed to submit a list.
- Junaid Akbar Seeking Details of land acquired by bureaucrats.
Islamabad: Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Tuesday noted Defense Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement of Pakistani bureaucrats who purchased properties in Portugal and instructed the establishment department and the Ministry of the Interior to immediately submit a list of all such officials, The news reported.
The committee called officials from the Ministry of Department, State Bank, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and other relevant institutions for an orientation at the next meeting.
The committee, led by Junaid Akbar Khan, investigated audits from the Ministry of Religious Affairs for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Junaid instructed the details of land acquired by the bureaucrats to be obtained.
From the beginning, Junaid said the committee intended to place on the agenda of its August 19, which met the questions of tax exemptions in the previous FATA and PATA regions. The expression of concern about the possible closure of utility stores decided the committee to seek a briefing on the question at its upcoming meeting.
The committee decided to convene the relevant departments at the next meeting. The committee also decided to hear complaints about the protesting places of supply.
Investigation of the audit para related to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Audit Office stated the committee that a former assistant accounting officer Muhammad Kaleem in Jeddah had signed RS12 million. Objections were also related to the same officer who in 2019 deducted meals from the assistants but did not pay the contractor and abuse funds from Hajj Welfare Fund.
Another three audit paras pointed a finger to Kaleem for allegedly Subjected RS444.25 million in total, while the same person was also involved in the wrong use of RS21,141 million worth of foods deducted from Moavineen, and underlies of RS3,456 million from Pilgrim Welare Fund. The total sub -impact amounted to RS44,715 million.
Officials informed the committee that the defendant had received a Canadian visa in advance and was currently in Canada.
Secretary Religious Affairs said the ministry had dismissed the official from service, written to the FIA for registration of a four and asked if Interpol had been contacted.
The FIA officials said that both the man and his wife were declared offenders who now lived in the United States, without any record yet of their properties.
The committee was informed that Jeddah, for phys 2018-21, during the audit of DG Hajj, Jeddah, was observed that an amount of RS12 million (SRLS271.508.88) of the Office of CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad on August 24, 2021 on the account of regular monthly income for the monthly income for the monthly income for the monthly income for the monthly income for the monthly income for the monthly income for the monthly income for the monthly income for the monthly income, 20 months.
The transfers were credited in the bank account of the Directorate -General, maintained with Bank Al Riyadh on August 28, 2021. However, the said amount was not taken into account as a receipt of the cash account for August 2021.
On the contrary, the amount was transferred by Muhammad Kaleem, AAO on August 29, 2021, to another bank account bearing no. 163-12 862-9942 entitled Madina Income Account, maintained with the same bank, and therefore the entire amount was transferred to the personal bank account of Muhammad Kaleem, AAO.
In addition, the officer manipulated the bank statements for General Agency General to conceal the sub -impact.
The audit is of the opinion that an underlake of RS12 million in transfers resulted in a loss of government tax. Junaid Akbar asked if an assistant accountant was involved in such actions what DG Hajj did there.
Secretary Religious Affairs DR Atta-Ur-Rehman told the Committee that the Ministry had requested the Ministry of the Interior and Interpol to issue a red order for the defendant. Senator AFNANULLAH Khan noted that no red order had been issued or any properties were seized in the case.
DG Hajj in Makkah explained that there were three authorized signatories at that time. One of them, the then instructor, had been transferred, but his bank ID was not disabled, enabling the transaction. He said the system had since been tightened.
The ministry said the defendant is now a resident of Canada and that recovery efforts are underway through his properties.
The committee ordered that details of the accused’s properties are obtained within a month. The committee chairman noted that such a large -scale fraud could not have been committed by a person alone and criticized the poor follow -up of the case.
The committee ordered the Secretary’s religious affairs to inform the committee within a month of the progress made in the case and inform the relevant country of the accused’s criminal record. The committee also discussed questions related to the Hajj operation as members sought a list of all employees from different qualities sent to Saudi Arabia to help pilgrims.
According to the secretary’s religious affairs, 1,700 employees have been deployed during the Hajj season, with 20% quota awarded the police while the rest of the positions are open.
Last year, 1,700 out of 64,000 applicants, including 350 officers in class 18, had been elected.
He said an assistant was awarded for every 100 pilgrims according to Saudi guidelines. The staff is traveling on a service visa that does not give them access to Mina and Arafat.
The audit officials clarified that this staff was sent to help pilgrims and not to perform Hajj himself.
The committee asked for data on how many judges, politicians and bureaucrats participated in the Hajj operation. The secretary said that all accompanying staff are government employees from class 7 to 18, and last year 130 employees from the armed forces were also included.
Auditing officials informed the committee on irregularities and revealed that RS49.8 million (SAR 907,000) was paid in cash to a company for tents in Mina and Arafat for 615 people without receipts or items. The bill also lacked the signature of DG Hajj. DG explained that the Earth’s realities under Hajj were different and suggested to exempt the Hajj events from the PPRA rules.
