ISLAMABAD, Jan 13: National Assembly Public Accounts Committee on Thursday directed the ministry of foreign affairs to improve fiscal discipline in the ministry and missions abroad.

The committee examined the accounts and audit report for the year 2000-01, also asked the ministry to surrender unspent amounts/savings within time and avoid demand of unnecessary supplementary grants.

The PAC discussed an audit objection pertaining to the withdrawal of $33,957.67 by an accountant at the Pakistan embassy in Tajikistan and transferring it to his personal account and termed it a gross violation of financial rules.

The meeting was presided over by PAC Chairman Malik Allah Yar Khan in the Parliament House. It was brought to the notice of the committee that the ministry transferred the accountant to Lisbon from Dushanbe, without taking any action against him.

The committee chief asked the secretary, foreign affairs, to take strict action against the person and also direct all concerned to strictly abide by the government treasury rules.

The committee also took serious note of non-recovery of outstanding amounts, non-adjustment advances and withdrawal of excess amounts from accounts of different embassies aboard.

The chairman directed the secretary to take strict notice of state of accounts at missions abroad and post qualified personnel to handle the accounts. The PAC also took serious view of the irregular expenditure incurred by a former ambassador to Turkey and directed the ministry to recover money from his pension.

On another audit objection of excess expenditure on account of telephone charges worth Rs5.896 million at different missions abroad, the PAC directed the ministry to recover the amounts from the officials and get the justified expenditure regularized from the competent authority.

Various audit objections raised by the audit department were settled by the PAC on accepting replies from the ministry subject to verification by the audit department.

The meeting was attended by MNAs Riaz Fatyana, Chaudhry Qamaruz Zaman Kaira, Dr Abdul Ghaffar Jatoi, Col (retired) Ghulam Rasool Sahi, Liaquat Baloch, Syed Qurban Ali Shah, Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, Prof Asiya Azeem, Kunwar Khalid Yunus, Auditor General of Pakistan, acting secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials of the departments concerned. -APP