LAHORE, June 10 The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has declared in a report that incumbent PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt owes Rs 3 million as head of the defunct Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) to the Board while long standing loans given by the PCB to Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) as well as to Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) are yet to be recovered.

The AGP, who has conducted the audit of the PCB — from 2004 to 2008 — has objected in the report that the PCA is to pay back Rs 3,041,889 to the PCB.

The provincial associations were formed by the then PCB chairman Lt. Gen. (retd.) Tauqir Zia to promote cricket on a new pattern and he had had appointed Ijaz Butt as head of the PCA.

“As per para 26 of the General Financial Rules of the Federal Government, it is the duty of departmental controlling officer to see that all the sums due to government are regularly and promptly assessed, realized and duly credited in the Public accounts as and when becomes due.

“Contrary to the above noted Government instructions in Pakistan Cricket Board, under the administrative control of Ministry of Sports, the PCB dues worth Rs 3,041,889 from Punjab Cricket Association were still lying uncovered. Further probe into the matter disclosed that Punjab Cricket Association issued a Bank cheque No. Cd-0495859 on 4th August 2006 in favour of PCB which was bounced/dishonoured with the remarks that the account No. 002801922436 of the association was dormant.”

“The fact was brought into the notice of the authorities of the Punjab Cricket Association by PCB through their D.O letter dated 25th August 2006 wherein, the concerned authorities were asked to clear the outstanding by issuing a fresh cheque.”

“It was, however, noticed that the above amount was still outstanding. No strenuous efforts appear to have been made to recover the outstanding dues,” the AGP objected.

Moreover, the AGP pointed out that PCB had given an amount of Rs 10,000,000 to the Pakistan Hockey Federation as loan through a cheque No 785729 dtd 2.8.2000 and one year later to the Pakistan Golf Federation amounting to Rs 500,000 through cheque No 0005789 dtd 12-3-2001. Both are still recoverable. The loans were issued during the tenure of Tauqir Zia.