ISLAMABAD: A heated session of the Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday saw serious concerns raised over the proposed sale of the Muzaffargarh Power Plant and alleged illegal recruitments in the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council.

During the session chaired by Junaid Akbar Khan, MNA Jamshed Dasti raised objections regarding the sale of the Muzaffargarh power facility, stating it is located within his constituency and is being undervalued. “This is a 1, 300-megawatt running plant being sold for just Rs16 billion. It has been deliberately pushed into disrepair despite its ability to still generate 700-800 megawatts,” he claimed. He called for a special audit, alleging potential corruption worth hundreds of billions of rupees.

Power Secretary Muhammad Fakhre Alam Irfan, responded dismissively, arguing the plant was outdated and not fit for privatisation. “We are disposing of old plants like Guddu and Nandipur as well,” the secretary stated, while responding to a question from Naveed Qamar about the extent of the privatisation plan.

Highlighting the plant’s legacy, MNA Dasti reminded the committee that the facility was inaugurated by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and expressed concern over it being sold off as scrap. Following the discussion, the PAC ordered a special audit of the Muzaffargarh Power Plant.

Orders special audit of power facility; refers PARC hiring to FIA for a thorough probe

In another major development, the committee tackled reports of irregular appointments within PARC. PARC Chairman Dr Ghu­lam Ali, was summoned and qu­­estioned about the alleged over-hiring. “An advertisement was issued for 164 positions, but 332 people were hired,” noted committee member Moeen Amir Pir­zada. The PAC chairman ad­­ded that a list of recruits contained names of relatives of several officials, including the chairman.

Afnanullah Khan raised concerns about regional bias, stating, “There are 36 districts in Punjab, but all the hiring was made from only four to five districts.” Additionally, over Rs90 million had been collected in application fees from candidates.

The PAC chairman criticised the recruitment process, noting that 29 per cent of the new hires came from just five districts, raising concerns over regional favouritism. He also alleged that relatives of senior officials, including the chairman himself, were among those hired.

Defending the expansion of posts, Dr Ghulam Ali claimed that the additional staff was essential to meet growing technical and scientific demands within the institution. However, committee member Naveed Qamar rejected this justification, stating, “Even if there was a need, appointments should have been made in accordance with the law.”

Committee member Sheikh Waqqas Akram questioned whether the chairman’s seat had been declared vacant by the court, to which the chairman replied he remained in office under a stay order.

In response to these revelations, the PAC referred the matter to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for a thorough probe. Chairman Junaid Akbar directed investigators to identify influential individuals whose relatives were employed and to examine the quota system as well. The disbursement of Rs25m under the “Pay Cash Award” scheme also came under scrutiny and had been handed over to the FIA for investigation.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2025