News
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
1,014 arms licences issued on MPs’ fake signatures cancelled
* Interior secretary tells PAC ministry has imposed complete ban on issuing new licences
By Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee on Monday directed the Interior Ministry to submit a report of cancellation of arms licences, which were issued on fake signatures of parliamentarians, to the committee within three months.
Interior Secretary Qamar Zaman Chaudhry informed the committee that the ministry had dug out 1,014 arms licences applications on fake signatures of parliamentarians. After this case, he said the ministry imposed a complete ban on issuing new licences. All licences, which might be issued in the future, would be sent to NADRA for proper verification to make the system more secure. A summary of new arms policy has been sent to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, under which new licences will be issued from the secretariat.
The cancellation of licences issued on fake signatures of parliamentarians was in progress and it will take some time, he said, to which the PAC directed the Interior Ministry to submit the report of the cancellation of the licences within three months.
The PAC was informed that the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police had collected Rs 32.533 million under different heads (11 in number) during 2007-08, but the receipts were not deposited in the national exchequer.
The management was utilising such receipts to meet departmental expenses over and above the government budgeted fund without the approval of the Finance Ministry. PAC Chairman Chaudhry Nisar Ali questioned why the Finance Ministry was not improving the system. He said the ministry was always the main cause of financial irregularities. “If the Finance Ministry improves its system, about 70 percent of problems related to financial irregularities/mismanagement would be automatically finished. It is always the auditor general of Pakistan that highlights such issues, while the ministry never does its job,” he said. The interior secretary informed the committee that after being given instructions by the PAC, the collection of fees under different heads was stopped, but the Finance Ministry never provided adequate funds. He claimed that these funds were utilised for public welfare and the general people would suffer. Nisar formed a committee, including the finance secretary, interior secretary, auditor general of Pakistan, IG Islamabad, and himself. The committee will hold informal discussion over the issue so as to resolve it permanently. Nisar said that wrongdoers would not be protected, adding that no person from any government service should be allowed to go away if he/she commits isappropriation/irregularities.
About the Pakistan Rangers, he said the former rangers DG was very controversial and claimed that the unit was mainly used for political purposes. He said the role of the rangers was always under emphasised and said that due credit should be given to the unit. About misappropriation by the rangers, he said the PAC wanted financial rules in every government department. “Millions of rupees were deposited by different forces and ministries in the national exchequer,” he said.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk