Muhammad Asad
ISLAMABAD: Federal Government has decided to in place 3rd party audit mechanism on Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) Projects in the Provinces to ensure accountability and to end loss of public money. It was shared by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain during a news conference in Islamabad on Tuesday.
While briefing the media men about today’s decisions taken by the Federal Cabinet during the meeting, he accused the Sindh government for wasting development funds transferred by the Federal Government against PSDP projects on annual basis.
According to him, usually it was said by the critics that Karachi never gets its due right in development funds but look at other cities of Sindh including Larkana, Mirpur Khas, Ghotki and others. Where the development funds of these cities had gone over the years. He accused the Sindh government for laundering that money to foreign countries including UAE and London in a systematic way. He said that Federal Cabinet has decided to establish a mechanism to have 3rd party audit at center and provincial level to ensure the implementation of projects and utilization of funds at right place in judicial manner.
According to him, government has allocated Rs. 900 billion rupees for next year PSDP projects and most of the fund would be utilized in Sindh and government would in place 3rd party audit mechanism to ensure transparency.
Information Minister informed the media that government has gave practical demonstration of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) during this week. The ECP authorities also have a question answer session with experts. Presently, government have three versions of EVM, two made of foreign firms and one indigenously developed by the Comsats.
According to Chaudhry Fawad, fortunately the EVM is fulfilling the 36 points agenda of ECP and therefore government is in efforts to use EVMs during upcoming by polls in the country. He informed the media men that Electronic Voting Bill has been passed by the National Assembly and presently it has been tabled in the Senate for necessary approval of the upper house. While taking the opposition on task, Chaudhry Fawad said that PML-N has similarity to the East India Company because both were having same agenda, East India Company looted the Indo-Subcontinent whereas PML-N looted Pakistan.
According to Fawad, the nation is gloomy about the Nawaz Sharif’s conduct that he left the country for treatment and now enjoying Polo matches in England instead of taking his treatment or coming back to the country. Information Minister said that Federal Cabinet has approved the construction of high-rise building in the area adjacent of Walton Airport Lahore according to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s environment friendly vision and vertical growth policy. According to him, the assets of Walton Airport have been divided between Punjab government and CAA by the ratio of 57.4 % and 42.6 % respectively. He also informed that government has regularized Charter Class-II flying permit of AHS, a private airline since 17 August 2016.
He also told the media men that the G-20 Countries had deferred the payment of $ 3.7 billion loan of Pakistan which would be a big economic relief for the government in coming days.
While responding to media query regarding diplomatic mission abroad, He said that two officers of Pakistan Mission Saudi Arabia have been called back after complaints by the overseas Pakistanis. He further informed that Federal Cabinet approved the appointment of Community Welfare attachés in seven Countries. Fawad told the reporters that federal Cabinet approved the new national digital cable policy, which will improve the quality of transmission and increase the number of television channels to provide maximum variety to the public.
While answering a question, he said that the government and public has serious concerns over ongoing accountability process and hearing of cases of Sharif family because it takes months in hearing dates of a particular case. He pleaded to the top court that Sharif family cases should be heard on daily basis to expedite the case to its logical conclusion. He also asked the journalists to examine the evidences and ascertain the credibility of the cases at their own.
