0
FAISALABAD, July 31: A team of the Local Fund Audit on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau took into custody a number of files from the local Tehsil Municipal Administration (City) offices for audit of the local council’s financial affairs during its four-year tenure.
The team took into custody the files pertaining to the purchase of different articles, tender notices, allowances for employees and expenditure under different heads.
TMA sources said the team led by LFA divisional director had attempted thrice during the last four months to conduct audit of the Tehsil Council but failed to do so, reportedly, due to non-cooperation of its previous management.
The sources further said that the step had been taken after the complaints made by various quarters to the Punjab Local Government Department, NAB authorities and other functionaries about the alleged irregularities in the TMA affairs, including misappropriation of funds and violation of the set rules.
The NAB had ordered the LFA department to conduct a comprehensive survey of the local council affairs and submit a report within the shortest possible time.
Despite the weekly holiday, a number of officials and heads of different branches had been called by the audit team at the TMA (city) offices in connection with the matter.
PML-N ACCUSATIONS: The local leadership of PML-N has accused the government of using pressure tactics against the opposition-backed candidates for union council seats to favour the ruling party nominees.
Talking to newsmen here on Sunday, former MNA Chaudhary Sher Ali, MNA Abid Sher Ali, former MPA and PML’s city president Khawaja Muhammad Islam, secretary-general Zeeshan Elahi Shah and others alleged that the local polls code of conduct was being violated grossly by the government-backed candidates and ministers were openly campaigning for them along with police and administration functionaries.
They further alleged that the police were harassing the opposition-backed candidates and they were being implicated in false criminal cases.
They claimed that the government had focused on Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Multan districts to ‘blackmail’ the opposition candidates to ensure election of its favourite hopefuls. The revenue officials had been deputed as assistant returning officers, which, they said, was a violation of the election code of conduct.
SCRUTINY: All the 44 returning officers (ROs) for the 289 union councils of the district have completed the scrutiny of nomination papers of 11,432 candidates.
The ROs and AROs questioned the candidates about Islamic values, politics, social evils and their educational activities during the interviews.
Reports said that nomination papers of 410 candidates were rejected, including those of 51 panels of nazims and naib nazims.
As many as 1,131 panels are contesting for 289 seats of nazims and naib nazims. Similarly, 4,853 candidates are for 1,156 seats of male general councillors, 1,401 for 578 seats of female general councillors, 2,322 for 578 seats of male labour councillors, 1,119 for as many seats of female labour councillors, and 606 candidates are contesting for 289 seats of minority councillors.
No clue: No clue to the murder of a couple and their two adopted children was found despite the passage of two days.
All efforts made by police teams proved futile so far. Special police teams were constituted by the DPO under the supervision of the ASP (Investigation) and the ASP (City) to trace the blind murder.
However, investigators have so far failed to reach any conclusion about the motive behind the incident.
