Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has expressed its utter dissatisfaction with the performance of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and observed that the bureau is allegedly striking deals with corrupt people and has miserably failed to recover plundered national wealth.

“The NAB is detaining low-rank public employees and sparing powerful corrupt mafia who has plundered national exchequer with impunity,” said Sardar Ashiq Gopang, a PAC member, during a meeting of the PAC held here at the Parliament House with Syed Khurshid Shah in the chair.

The committee discussed audit objections worth billions of rupees in the Ministry of Industry and Production during financial year 2012.

The Ministry of Industry and Production secretary told that committee that the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) had suffered an accumulative loss of Rs 65 billion during the last three years and its had been closed due to paucity of funds and shortage of gas supply.

Syed Khurshid Shah remarked that some powerful people of the country wanted to grab 20,000 acres of precious PSM land on the pretext of privatisation. The committee expressed its concern over government’s apathy to the PSM and called upon it to introduce revolutionary measures to save the national asset from destruction.

The government functionaries informed the committee that China and Russia were not interested to operate the mill and the government was taking some measures to convert it into a profitable entity.

An audit officer told that committee that the Ceramic Development Company – a subsidiary department of the Industrial Ministry – in 2011 procured machinery worth Rs 73 million in a non-transparent way, causing huge financial losses to the kitty. However, the ministry told the committee that the NAB had been directed to probe into the matter and recover looted wealth.

NAB representative told the participants that the three accused in the corruption scam had not been arrested as an accountability court was hearing the case.

Mehmood Khan Achakzai remarked those who had swindled billions of rupees were allegedly striking deals with the NAB. He said the corrupt mafias whitened black money after paying petty amount to the NAB.

The audit officer said not even a single department of the government had a monitoring mechanism to keep check on corruption and corrupt people. Rashid Godail called upon all government departments to allocate adequate funds for research in their respective field to keep themselves abreast with the developed world.