Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A new corruption scandal in the Ministry of Information Technology worth Rs 21.57 billion has surfaced. In the scandal, some high ups of the ministry are implicated. Daily Times got the documents which revealed that a subsidiary department of Ministry of IT, Universal Service Fund (USF) had awarded the contract to private telecom service provider that cost 21.5778 billion to provide the telecom infra-structure in the rural areas of the country.

These contracts were declared illegal as they violate the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority’s (PPRA) rules. In these contracts, the integrity pact was not signed with the companies and in spite of the completion of the mega project, neither telecom the system was installed nor was the E-system fixed in the rural areas of the country.

The department comes under the administrative control of the Ministry of Information Technology, headed by Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Anusha Rahman.

The report said that Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had also instructed the Ministry of Information Technology that integrity pact must be signed before giving out contracts to mitigate the chances of corruption. The audit authorities had issued directives to Secretary IT to hold responsible and take punitive action against the elements that gave approval of these contracts, but even after lapse of three years, the ministry failed to point out the real culprits behind the illicit deal.

According to the law, the telecommunication companies working in Pakistan are liable to provide 1.5 percent of their yearly income to USF, which is used for the provision of telecom services in underdeveloped areas. The poor people of the rural areas were waiting for the modern telecommunication facilities but the corrupt elements have swallowed the hefty funds of 21.57 billion and most interesting aspect of the entire saga is that the probe of the matter is still to commence.