PESHAWAR, July 9: The federal ministry for state and frontier region has frozen about Rs250 million in the sales proceeds account of the commissionerate for Afghan refugees, Peshawar office, and requested the auditor-general to conduct an audit of the account since 1992, officials said. A senior official of the ministry in Islamabad, when approached, confirmed freezing of the account.

“The Afghan commissionerate falls in the jurisdiction of the ministry of the federal government and the secretary Safron functions as its principal account officer, but despite certain rules, the provincial government interfere in the affairs of the commissionerate,” he remarked.

Senior government functionaries told Dawn that the step was taken owing to differences between the ministry concerned and the Frontier government over the affairs and functions of the Afghan commissionerate, Peshawar.

“The ministry had apprehensions about the misuse of the fund in the account,” they said.

The federal government has withdrawn administrative and financial powers from the Afghan commissionerate and directed the chief commissioner to exercise these powers.

The account mostly includes the sales proceed of various aid items meant for the Afghan refugees, including jerry cans, barrels, jute and gunny bags.

The amount originated from the sale of these items was mostly utilised for operating schools for the refugee children and other activities in camps.

After freezing the money, the commissionerate closed down 95 middle, secondary and higher secondary schools for the refugee children in the NWFP and adjacent tribal areas, and fired its staff.

Sources said frequent interference by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government in the affairs of the commissionerate, including political appointments on important posts, had annoyed the federal government.

They said the provincial government had appointed project directors of repatriation, health and education without the consent and approval of the ministry of Safron while according to the prescribed rules these posts were required to be filled by a committee consisting of the officials of Safron, UNHCR and commissionerate.

“Politically motivated appointments on various posts and differences between federal and provincial governments severely affected activities in the commissionerate,” a source said.

Officials said the ministry of Safron did not entertain summaries and correspondence of these officials. Despite the fact that the provincial government appointed project director health for the refugees, the ministry recently advertised the post and conducted interviews for the said post on June 23, 2005.