July 7, 2005	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 29, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, July 6: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday ordered that an amount of Rs567,854 be recovered from former prime minister Nawaz Sharif who, according to auditors had spent the money from the Pilgrims Welfare Fund (PWF) on Haj performed by members of his family in 1997. PAC chairman Malik Allah Yar Khan issued the order after hearing Auditor General Mohammad Younas Khan and officials of the finance ministry and overruling Secretary Wakil Ahmed Khan of the religious affairs ministry who said the Sharif family had paid back the amount and the account be “regularised.”

However, a press release issued by the PML-N media centre said the former prime minister did not perform Haj in 1997 and, therefore, there was no question of spending Rs567,854 from the Pilgrims Welfare Fund on the Haj expenses of Mr Sharif or his family.

Earlier, during discussions on audit report for the year 2000-01, the PAC was informed that the PWF is collected through deductions of Rs450 from each Haj applicant. The PAC was told that under the rules, the PWF should be used for the welfare of Hajis and for funeral expenses in deserving cases.

The PAC chairman also directed that responsibility should be fixed on officials who had authorised the irregular expenditure.

The PAC, the auditor general and officials of the finance ministry rejected the plea of the secretary religious affairs to “regularise the irregular” expenditure.

The secretary, Mr Wakil Ahmed Khan, informed the PAC that he had sent a summary to the finance ministry on June 7, 2005 for “regularisation” of irregular expenditures of Rs9.8 million made from the PWF under 17 different heads. Mr Wakil said he had documentary evidence that the family of the former prime minister had made payments for the Haj expenses and the amount had to be “regularised”.

Rejecting the plea of the secretary, the PAC passed the directive for recovery after the auditor general informed the PAC that the religious affairs ministry had spent Rs952,472 on TA/DA of the minister, minister for education, secretary, parliamentary secretary, prime minister’s family, MNAs and employees of the ministry from the PWF during the 1994-2001 period.

Details of the expenditure made from the PWF as presented before the PAC showed that Rs567,854 had been paid to the director Haj Makkah “for Haj expenses of PM’s family and Mian Abbas Sharif MNA” through a cheque number 25945651, on August 26, 1997.

The PAC was further told that the religious affairs ministry had spent Rs28,524 on air fare of the then minister of religious affairs vide cheque number 20538198 on March 29, 1995; Rs27,000 on expenses of the then minister for education Khurshid Ahmed Shah vide cheque number 20542276 July 20, 1995.

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