ISLAMABAD: Taking notice of unauthorized purchase of mobile sets for pilgrims, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday directed the ministry of religious affairs and auditor general officials to probe the case and submit reports within 30 days. The PAC directed for formation of a two-member committee to investigate the procurement of mobile phone sets from the Pilgrim Welfare Fund in 2012, costing Rs 90 million, violating the rules. The committee was informed that Rule 4 of Hajj Pilgrim Welfare Fund Rules, 1990 provide 15 items on which expenditure from the Fund could be made. Purchase of mobile phone sets was not included in the list of 15 items on which the expenditure could be incurred. Apart from these 15 items, any further purchases from the fund required permission from the Ministry of Finance but in this case nothing had been given, the PAC was informed. Audit was of the view that the procurement of mobile phone sets was irregular and unauthorized and undue favour was extended to the supplier without any proper tender process. As per stock report from Haji Camps, 8900 mobile phones sets were with the directorates due to the fact that sets were obtained at a stage when the Hajj flights had been started, therefore all sets could not be handed over to the pilgrims during the year 2012 Naveed Qamar directed the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony to induct one member each from the Auditor General of Pakistan and the ministry and submit reports to the PAC within 30 days. Sheikh Rashid proposed the chair to refer the matter to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) or Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for investigation. However, the proposal was not accepted. The PAC met under the chairmanship of Syed Naveed Qamar, MNBAs Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Sheikh Rohail Asghar, Raja Javed Ikhlas, Sardar Ashiq Gopang, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Shahida Akhtar Ali, Sahibzada Nazir Sultan, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Dr Darshan, Secretaries of the Ministries of Religious Affairs, Climate Change, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other senior official from Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) attended the meeting. Chairman Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Sadiq-ul-Farooq informed that in the audit objection of department of year 2013-14 of wasteful expenditure of Rs18.13 million, severe violations of the rules were detected. He said that after taking charge of the Board, an inquiry was conducted and the report would be presented to the committee and requested three months time to act against the culprits. However, Naveed Qamar directed the chairman to submit an initial report immediately, and the detailed report within 30 days. While discussing an audit para, Secretary Ministry of Climate Change, Syed Abu Ahmad Akif and Chairman NDMA Major General Asghar Nawaz briefed the committee on the relief activities in rain-hit areas of Sindh which continued for a long time since 2011-12. The Chairman NDMA said that in year 2012, under the directive of Prime Minister Secretariat, 25,000 tents had been provided in Sindh on urgent basis. In October, 50,000 tents were supplied in Punjab and 20,000 in Balochistan, he added. Asghar Nawaz said that due to delay in release of funds to NDMA in 2011, the authority could not purchase any item for the department. He said that afterwards, in 2012, the government released Rs500 million which were utilized to purchase the said tents following the PEPRA rules. The Chairman informed that now the NDMA was capable enough to handle the population of around 0.3 million in case of any emergency.