ISLAMABAD: The Aud­i­tor General’s office on Wed­­nesday raised objections over the Federal Pub­lic Service Commission’s (FPSC) failure to appoint members from the private sector.

During a meeting of the Public Acco­unts Commi­ttee (PAC), the audit officials pointed out that the absence of private sector representation deprived the FPSC of professional expertise. Instead, two additional members were posted in vacant seats in violation of its ordinance.

Defending the commission’s position, FPSC Secr­etary Syed Husnain Mehdi told PAC that the president of Pakistan was the appointing authority, acting thro­ugh the Establishment Division. “The FPSC keeps the Establishment Division informed about vacant posts,” he said, shifting responsibility to the division.

MNA Naveed Qamar highlighted ambiguities in the ordinance, stressing that if the Establishment Division was making appointments in violation of the FPSC Ordinance, its secretary should be responsible for upholding the law.

PAC orders NAB probe into encroachment of Pakistan Steel Mills land

The PAC also took up the issue of the failure of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) CEO to protect land worth Rs750 million during 2023-24. The Audit Department objected that 176 plots in Gulshan-i-Hadeed Colony, Karachi, had been encroached upon.

Audit officials noted that the PSM management’s failure to safeguard the land reflected negligence and weak oversight.

The committee was informed that in December 2011, the Sindh Land Utilisation Department (LUD) had allotted some PSM land to four individuals — Brig Bilal Saeedullah Khan, retired Lt Col Sohail Malik, Shahzad Ali and Manzoor Hussain Baloch — for agricultural purposes on a 30-year lease.

The audit further observed that due to this illegal occupation of 35 acres, nearly 200 allotted plots were unlawfully seized.

The secretary of the Ministry of Industries and Production confirmed that the four individuals were illegal allottees who had physically occupied about 35 acres, which was originally designated for PSM’s Gulshan-i-Hadeed Phase III housing scheme.

Shocked at this information, PAC Chairman Junaid Akbar directed that the case be referred to the National Acco­untability Bureau (NAB), with a report to be submitted within two months.

The PAC also instructed NAB to investigate the encroachment of another 11.70 acres of PSM land, worth Rs351m, adding to the already occupied 295 acres.

“These encroachments must be cleared,” Mr Akbar said, stressing the need for immediate action.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2025