PESHAWAR, Aug 25: An audit report has pointed out discrepancies in the financial and managerial affairs of the NWFP chapter of the All Pakistan Women Association (APWA) by the previous cabinet.

At present, APWA, Peshawar, has been passing through a transitional phase as the APWA Central (Karachi) dissolved the provincial body two months back after receiving complaints of financial and administrative wrongdoings here.

An acting management committee has now been looking after the affairs of APWA and will conduct elections for electing a new body.

The central body of APWA, an organization of repute which pioneered the cause of women in Pakistan, has been contemplating of taking action against the previous cabinet for these discrepancies.

Mrs Hashmat Anwer Khan, who was the head of the dissolved provincial body, looked after the organization in the province for more than two decades.

The audit was carried out for the last five years, from June 30, 1998, to April 30, 2002. The audit was conducted by Saeed Methani Mushtaq & Co, Chartered Accountants, Peshawar. The then management had not provided relevant record to the auditors and instead claimed that they were not involved in any wrongdoings.

The report pointed out that the number of employees as per attendance register was 15, whereas, as per the salary register the number of employees was 24.

On an inquiry, the auditors were told that five people were working in Darul Aman, run by APWA, and two people were performing their duty somewhere else. Two persons named Noorul Haq and Meher Dil were found working in someone’s house as personal employees receiving a salary of Rs1,800 each per month.

The audit report pointed out that the shops owned by APWA were situated in a commercial area of Saddar Road, where according to their survey rental value ranged from Rs15,000 to Rs25,000 per month depending on the location. However, the average rent received by APWA per shop was Rs1,500 per month, which is unjustifiable.

The report added that a loss of Rs20 million was estimated to have suffered by APWA on account of receiving nominal rents during the last five years. It added that there was some new construction on the upper storey of the shops by the shopkeepers which was neither allowed by the competent authority in writing nor was there any provision in the constitution for such activities.

About the Darul Aman/Darul Itfal (shelter house for women and orphans), the audit report stated there was no record of donations received in cash and kind. On a demand of the record, the auditor claimed, the superintendent, Ms Kousar Parveen, said she had burnt all the previous record, as there were no instructions from the management to maintain the record.

Another person, Karim Khan, performed his duty from 3pm to 5pm in Darul Aman, but he claimed that he was not an employee there. However, he had signed various receipts. The audit party was of the opinion that Karim Khan was the mastermind behind all the activities of Darul Aman and he was pleasing his upper management by providing them the share of unrecorded donation received in cash and kind.

Darul Aman was mismanaged, without any internal control and had financial irregularities, the report said.

The audit party claimed they were not provided record of different things and were prohibited by the executive secretary, Mrs A.R. Hasan. The report pointed out that the record of APWA’s savings account (010-4842-5) was also not provided to them and by some other sources they acquired the statement of the said account.

During the period from July 1, 2000, to Jan 17, 2002, Rs1.123 million were deposited in that account and Rs1.410 million were withdrawn. However, the chairperson, Mrs H. Anwar Khan, claimed that it was her personal account and no one was authorised to interfere in that matter.

The report pointed out that the account was in the name of APWA, with Mrs Anwar Khan and Karim Khan had the signing authority.

The auditor has recommended detailed investigation into the bank account. The report also explained how the vehicles of APWA were misused by the executives and utilised for personal use.