ْٗQUETTA : The Balochistan Public Accounts Committee (PAC) grilled officials on Wednesday over massive financial mismanagement and the failure of the Quetta Safe City project, revealing that 600 of its 800 cameras are inactive.
PAC Chairman Asghar Ali Tareen showed serious concern over an allegedly illegal contract worth Rs. 2.280 billion issued to the Special Communication Organization (SCO). He slammed the bureaucratic approval process, stating, “The rules were thrown in the trash. Instead of approval from the cabinet, the bureaucracy only took approval from the Chief Minister.”
The committee unanimously condemned the contracting process, calling for the abolition of “drawing room type contracts” that bypassed procurement rules.
Chairman Tareen highlighted the project’s complete failure to protect citizens, citing the recent kidnapping of a child named Musawar. “Despite the expenditure of Rs. 9 billion, if the public could not get protection, it means there was ineffective planning,” he said, adding that the primary beneficiaries appeared to be the contractors.
The PAC decided to personally inspect the project and ordered the Chief Secretary to conduct a formal inquiry within one month. The committee warned that if the inquiry is unsatisfactory, the case will be referred to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
This week the PAC has uncovered serious financial irregularities in two key provincial departments during its latest review of audit reports.
The audit revealed that the Social Welfare Department spent Rs. 14.489 million on vehicle purchases during 2020-21 without proper authorization, failing to obtain mandatory certificates. Additionally, the department made purchases worth Rs. 10.082 million between 2019-2021 without open tendering, violating procurement rules.
Committee members expressed concern that these violations continued for three years, rejecting the department’s COVID-19 justification as insufficient. The PAC has directed the department to identify responsible officials and initiate disciplinary action.
The Board of Investment and Trade was found to have retained Rs. 295.037 million in bank accounts between 2018-2021 without authorization, failing to deposit earned interest into government accounts. The committee also noted Rs. 3.426 million in unnecessary bank deductions and Rs. 2.122 million in tax irregularities.
