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PAC calls FIA DG over closing PIA probe without its consent

Asim Yasin
Thursday, Sep 01, 2022

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee has summoned the FIA DG over closure of an inquiry into irregularities of over Rs3.19 billion in PIA’s Premier Service without the PAC consent and bypassing it.

The Public Accounts Committee also ordered PIA to end the practice of giving free tickets to officials and their families, members of Board of Directors of PIA and their families, ex-members of the board of governors and their families.

The Public Accounts Committee held its meeting Wednesday with Chairman Noor Alam Khan in the chair that examined audit paras of Aviation Division for the financial year 2019-20. It expressed displeasure over not utilising Rs1.8 billion allocated for Gwadar Airport.

Chairman Noor Alam Khan said that external and some internal forces were trying to sabotage the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and non-use of available funds under these circumstances was gross negligence.

Officials of the Aviation Division said that the foreign grant was being spent through a Chinese company. PAC member Mushahid Hussain Syed said that Gwadar was the center of the CPEC project and not using the grant was criminal negligence.

“It is an alarming situation, as we are missing every single dollar,” he said. The PAC ordered an inquiry into it with the chairman directing the Civil Aviation Authority and the auditor-general to fix responsibilities in this regard.

About PIA’s Premier Service, audit officials told the committee it had suffered a loss of Rs3.19 billion. When the chairman asked about the inquiry into the loss, PIA officials said the inquiry had been closed for lack of evidence.

He also inquired under whose directive the inquiry was closed and summoned the FIA DG in next meeting to brief the committee on closure of the inquiry. FIA officials told the committee that the PIA Premier Service had been started under instructions from former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the decision in this regard was taken in the board meeting.

Audit officials told the committee that the FIA could not close the inquiry without the PAC consent. PAC Chairman Noor Alam Khan said that the theory of law of necessity would not be tolerated to benefit anyone.

“The enemy of PIA is the one who abolished the business class,” he said, adding who will sit in a PIA plane having no business or first class. He said PIA was suffering from financial losses but its officers and their families were being given free tickets.

PAC member Mushahid Hussain Syed said that tickets were not only being given to the board of directors but also to former BoGs members and their families. The Public Accounts Committee directed PIA to abolish the practice of giving free tickets. The committee also sought an inquiry report about the flight to Madina.

Noor Alam Khan said even an ordinary rickshaw driver would not give his route to anyone but PIA had given its entire routes to the other countries. PAC member Sheikh Rohail Asghar raised the issue of cracks on the runway of New Islamabad Airport and said that there were many other complaints too.

The chairman said that the New Islamabad Airport inquiry was handed over to FIA but it had not updated the PAC on the progress. Speaking about floods, Chairman Noor Alam Khan said that donations should be given to Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund. He asked ministries to help victims through their resources and said that we should not wait for help from foreign countries.