The missing 20-year relief data concerning the Afghan refugee donor assistance of the Foreign Ministry raised some serious concern of the Public Accounts Sub Committee of the parliament. Records on 11 relief projects have not been supplied and Rs. 5.5 billion has been paid out, Audit officials further said. Payments to contractors were paid without proper vouchers, cash books/general ledgers.
The audit briefing revealed that, Rs. 1.73 billion was utilized in spending wheat, computers, religious books and student aids, and establishment of NESPAK in Kabul to the extent of Rs. 11.4 million. Part of the relief efforts included a scholarship program to the level of RS. 1.1 billion and 2,000 Afghanistan students.
The Foreign Ministry responded that only partial records were available which was criticized by the committee member Bilal Ahmed Khan who questioned, how can there be no records at all? He also questioned the role of the Ministry of Planning whose officials claimed that they only executed the orders of the Prime Ministers Office.
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Audit officials explained that the Secretary of Planning was in charge of the grants whereas expenditures were made by the Foreign Ministry. Bilal Ahmed Khan stressed on the responsibility of the lost papers and asked Planning Ministry to explain its role.
The commission has now instructed the Ministry Planning to provide an entire report within three weeks. The inquiry will seek to retrieve the 20-year-old relief information and this will allow parties responsible to be held to account.
