ISLAMABAD: A subcommittee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday questioned the subletting of land meant for a lawyers’ complex to a luxury hotel.

The subcommittee, which was convened by PTI lawmaker Noor Alam Khan, also settled the audit para for the unauthorised use of vehicles by the Senate chairman and deputy chairman.

Audit Director General Maqbool Gondal told the subcommittee that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on March 8, 2011, allotted 4,500 square yards of land to the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) for a lawyers’ complex.

He said former SCBA president Syed Ali Zafar sublet the land to Zafarullah Marwat for a monthly rent of Rs2.7 million, who then built a luxury hotel on the land. He added that when the auditor general’s office raised an audit para and PAC issued a notice to the SCBA president, he filed a petition before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and obtained a stay.

According to Mr Gondal, the case was last heard in 2016 and never taken up again.

The subcommittee decided to seek a briefing from the CDA chairman, district administration and Mr Zafar, and asked them to attend its next meeting.

It also issued directions to write a letter to the chief justice of the IHC informing him of the unsettled para on the illegal subletting of the land.

While examining the 2017-18 audit report, the subcommittee also took up an audit para related to the unauthorised use of six vehicles by the Senate chairman and deputy chairman.

According to the audit report, the expenditure incurred by the use of excessive vehicles was Rs28m and Rs10 by the chairman and deputy chairman, respectively. The grand of additional vehicles was in violation of the Chairman and Speaker (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) Act 1975.

The audit was of the view that the case may be referred to the federal government for ex-post facto approval regarding the use of four general and two escort vehicles in addition to the vehicles entitled under the act by the Senate chairman and deputy chairman.

However, the subcommittee directed to settle the para without taking ex-post facto approval, saying that law and order situation at the time was not good.

The subcommittee also issued directions to the Ministry of Interior to disclose the names of people accused of irregularities in the Safe City project.

At its last meeting, the subcommittee had pointed that the majority of cameras installed under this project were out of order and had referred the matter to the National Accountability Bureau.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2019