Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A corruption of Rs one million has been unearthed at the Pakistan Academy of Letters in the name of self hiring of residential accommodation facility for the staff.

According to audit paras of 2013, the employees of the Pakistan Academy of Letters caused loss to the national exchequer. The auditors not only pointed out that hiring of houses situated in Rawalpindi was carried out at the rate of the federal capital Islamabad but also directed the management of the academy to recover the amount from those employees who took this undue benefit.

But the administration has made up its mind to save the skin of the influential officer as it is trying to put the audit paras under the carpet instead of recovering the extra paid amount form the beneficiaries.

There is a house located at Dhok Safu, Pir Wadhai Rawalpindi, whose self hiring is being taken by a staff member of the Pakistan Academy of Letters at the rate of that prescribed in Islamabad.

The first time the audit authorities pointed this out in 2013 and recommended that strict disciplinary action be taken against the employee who hoodwinked his department and obtained the extra amount. The bill of hiring had reached up to Rs two million.

Now the audit authorities have forwarded the several audit paras regarding Pakistan Academy of Letters including the wrong hiring case to the Public Accounts Committee due to which a fuss has been created in the administration.

When Daily Times contacted the Chairman of the Academy, Professor Qasim Baghio, he said that the matter was not in his knowledge. He said that if the media had some solid proofs then they should be provided to him and action would be taken against the corrupt elements. When Director General Rashid Hameed was contacted, he said that there were certain audit paras on which the negotiations are going on and it is hoped that the case regarding self hiring would be resolved amicably.

He said that there was not very much difference in the rates of hiring between Rawalpindi and Islamabad. He said that the inquiry was held twice on the hiring of the said house and both times the committee had declared the officer concerned innocent. He said that as far as the plan of the said house is concerned, some of its portion is situated in Rawalpindi while some of its part falls in Islamabad so the house should be treated as the property of the federal capital.