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| March 03, 2007 | Saturday | Safar 13, 1428 |
PST fails to provide audit reports for Senate Committee moot
LAHORE, March 2: The Pakistan Sports Trust (PST) has not yet furnished important documents including the annual audit report and financial details of the Hero Card Scheme to the Federal Sports Ministry for onward submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Sports and Culture.
The documents pertaining to ten different issues had been demanded by the Senate Committee while grilling PST officials at a meeting held at Islamabad on Jan 22 after Pakistan’s dismal performance in the last Asian Games held in Doha, Qatar in Dec 2006.
According to detail gathered by Dawn, the Federal Sports Ministry had directed the PST to provide the relevant documents at the earliest but the trust could only provide five out of the ten required documents despite several reminders.
The Senate Committee on Sports wants to convene another meeting with the PST officials after obtaining all the necessary information but delay in furnishing of the documents impedes the meeting.
According to a latest letter written by joint secretary of the sports ministry, Mohammad Zafar Khan, to the Senate Secretariat in the last week of February - a copy of which was obtained by Dawn - the ministry has failed to get all the required information despite its best efforts.
"The following items are still not received despite our best efforts. However, we are reminding them (PST) for early submission of information. Further information will be submitted on receipt from PST," the letter stated.The Senate Committee members had raised some objections over the PST's accounts during the meeting as the information provided in that meeting was found lacking in detail.
The PST is headed by Lt. Gen. (retd.) Arif Hasan and he himself attended the Senate Committee meeting on Jan 22. PST has also dilly-dallied in providing the names of the officials working for the trust. In the last meeting, the Senate Committee was provided with only the names of the posts existing in the trust.
But the Senate Committee had asked to also mention the names of the people employed in PST.
The other important document that the PST has avoided to submit is the copy of Agreement/MOU signed with COMSAT Dubai as Distributor/Retailer Commission for the Hero Card Scheme and other details pertaining to whether other bids were invited before awarding the contract to the firm. The Senate Ccommittee had also asked for the submission of advertisement copy given to the national press for inviting bids.
The PST has only provided the copies of national sports policy of 2001 and revised policy-2005. In addition to that, the list of federations and associations with details of people heading the organisations such as their presidents, secretaries, treasurers with their respective terms in office had also been provided.
The PST had also sent its constitution and the federal cabinet's decision made in Dec 2004 wherein it was approved. The PST had also provided the document under which the Hero Card Scheme was approved by the federal government. Under the policy approved on Dec 22, 2004, the Hero Card Scheme was introduced by the PST to generate revenue for various sports in the country.
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