PESHAWAR, Aug 1: The Pubic Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed the Home and Tribal Affairs department to make its internal control system more effective. The PAC meeting held with the NWFP Assembly Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan, who is also chairman of the committee in the chair, took stock of the audit objections in detail on the Home and Tribal Affairs department for the year 2002-03.

The Committee referred to the financial irregularities in the police department cropped up as a result of ineffective internal control and directed that it should be remedied well in time.

The Committee also directed the police department to ensure publication of its tender notices in the largely circulated newspapers so that maximum parties could participate in the bidding.

The Committee took strong exception to the non-provision of records to the audit parties at the time of auditing. The Committee was unanimous in its view that government officials were not providing records to the audit parties concerned and were thus committing cognizable offence.

Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan said that the provincial secretary health while justifying his absence from the July 30 meeting of the PAC had sent an application mentioning his unavoidable preoccupations. However, the Committee accepted his excuse.

Secretary Provincial Assembly Mohammad Mushtaq, Senior Additional Secretary Amanullah, Additional Secretary Javed Latif besides officials from the Finance, Law, Audit, AG, Police and Home departments also attended the PAC meeting.—APP