ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Finance on Thursday called for a briefing with the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) over allegations of figure fudging.

Committee chairman Saleem Mandviwalla said national institutions were getting defamed because of regular reports that the figures being reported by the PBS are incorrect.

“It is not only being reported in local media but even a former finance minister as well as the World Bank and IMF have expressed similar feelings,” Senator Mandviwalla said.

He said the government of Pakistan quoted that the growth rate would be 4 per cent whereas the IMF contested that it would be 3.1pc.

“We have disputes over inflation figures regularly and everybody is compelled to believe that the official figures are not credible,” he said.

The committee decided to have a detailed briefing on how these figures are computed by PBS Statistics Division in the next meeting.

“Everybody believes the IMF and WB figures and not the Statistics Division,” he added.

The committee also decided to constitute a subcommittee to probe the alleged violation by the PBS in 2011 for appointment of Chief Statistician, project officers for seven projects and formation of functional board of the PBS.

The committee discussed Senator Saussi Palijo’s resolution, which was moved in the Senate and then referred to the committee, against not giving equitable representation in PBS Board of Functional Members and Governing Council.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2016