Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: It was disclosed in the parliamentary body on Monday that a huge amount of money has been embezzled in the name of peace lashkars against Taliban in tribal areas. There appears to be no record of Rs 250 million spent in South Wazirstan in this regard. The federal minister for state and frontier region Abdul Qadir Baloch refused to defend the FATA secretariat and admitted that corruption was a national issue.

National Assembly standing committee on SAFRON met under the chair of Muhammad Jamal ud Din. The Committee took serious notice of the absence of the FATA Additional Chief Secretary and directed the Ministry of SAFRON to write a letter and convey the reservation of the Standing Committee to the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and to make sure of his presence in the next meeting.

Surprisingly, the federal minister for SAFRON Abdul Qadir Baloch refused to defend the FATA secretariat affairs and said secretary FATA was not answerable to him but directly to the PM office and the ministry of finance. “We do not take their burden any more. We have respect and honour while due to FATA secretariat, we had to face the music even in the senate and national assembly.”

FATA officials said that they had paid Rs 110 million in the Bajaur agency against Taliban to peace troops while Rs 250 million were given to South Wazirstan peace troops. 30 million was given in the Kurram Agency, 10 million in Mehmund Agency, and 10 million in Khyber Agency were provided.

It was disclosed that till.2012, expenditures were usually made without proper procedures. In 2013, a ban was imposed and now, the amount had been distributed among the tribal agencies on the decisions taken in the apex committee. The Federal minister for SAFRON admitted that corruption was a national issue and corruption existed even in the projects for Afghan refugees.