QUETTA: Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Akhtar Hussain Langove has said that massive irregularities have been found in the accounts of the local government (LG) department.

Presiding over a meeting of the Balochistan Assembly’s PAC here on Monday, he said that corruption had badly affected the performance of the local government department in the province.

The meeting reviewed the local bodies’ affairs and observed that the previous governments had failed to check illegal practices in the LG department.

Mr Langove expressed displeasure over lack of a mechanism to check corruption in the LG department.

He said despite passing a law in 2010, the affairs of this department were yet to be revamped. He said the previous government had exempted the transfer of funds from audit at the district government level, but this practice would not be allowed anymore in Balochistan.

The PAC chairman said the LG department’s audit paras would be discussed again in the next meeting.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind said LG department’s affairs could not be revamped without auditing its accounts.

“Corruption can’t be curbed in the LG department without punishing its corrupt officers,” he said.

Finance Minister Zahoor Buledi assured the meeting that his department would address the audit issue of the LG department with consensus.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2019