ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel on Thursday expressed displeasure over the procurement of 78 luxury vehicles by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) despite a ban on such purchases under the austerity policy of the federal government and unfinished probes into other financial irregularities.

Presided over by Senator Shahadat Awan, the Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources directed completion within six months of hundreds of inquiries, some of which have been going on for four decades.

Mr Awan highlighted that 187 audit paras pertaining to Wapda’s financial affairs were pending settlement, with some pending since 1985, and surprisingly, the ministry didn’t have any records in some cases.

The secretary of Water Resources assured the committee that the inquiries on all the audit paras would be conducted chronologically; however, priority was being given to foreign-aided projects.

Deplores inquiries remain unfinished for decades

Mr Awan also raised the audit objections to purchase 78 vehicles for Rs740 million. He wondered how these vehicles were purchased against the cabinet directive of austerity measures. He noted that the inquiry into these purchases was initiated in March 2022 and has not been completed.

He said one of the audit paras pertained to Rs29bn irregularities and it was strange that such a big financial scam did not attract inquiry by the water resources ministry. The Wapda officials said an inquiry had been ordered into the matter, and its findings would be shared with the panel, and responsibility would be fixed if wrongdoing was established.

The panel had taken up the matters of inquiries pending with the Ministry of Water Resources upon the recommendations of the Departmental Acco­unts Committee and Public Accounts Committee in the audit paras of Wapda.

The Wapda officials reported to the panel that 56 inquiries were conducted on the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee, of which 43 were completed, 10 were still in progress, and the remaining three were being investigated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Additionally, 381 inquiries were initiated upon the recommendations of the Departmental Accounts Committee, of which 308 were completed and 67 were pending. After detailed deliberation, the committee directed that the Ministry of Water Resources should provide the details of cases pending before the courts.

The panel also called upon the ministry and the Wapda to provide the details of individuals against whom responsibilities had been fixed upon the conclusion of inquiries.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2025