KARACHI, Jan 25: Vehicles that have been acquired by certain police officials and government departments from the central vehicles’ pool, commonly known as Nazarat, or through the auctions conducted by the Federal Board of Revenue, are being used in the rent-a-car business in the city, it has emerged.

The rent-a-car business is flourishing because it yields attractive monthly returns. A large number of people who acquired vehicles on leasing are involved in the business. But some government and police officials also indulged in the business by renting out their official vehicles to individuals and companies to earn money.

Unclaimed vehicles lying in the central vehicles’ pool are generally given to police officials, personnel of law enforcement and intelligence agencies and officials of the home department on the condition that they will return the vehicle when its rightful owner claims it.

Similarly, instead of letting vehicles rust, the government had decided to auction the vehicles (cars, jeeps etc) seized by the customs department on different pretexts to the government/semi-government departments at the highest possible price.

However, a government official told Dawn that the vehicles either acquired from Nazarat or through the FBR’s auction were supposed to be used by the officials or departments concerned and such vehicles were by no means meant to be used commercially or in the rent-a-car business.

Well-placed sources said that some government servants, who were in possession of such vehicles, were misusing the facility as they rent out the vehicles. On an average, the owner can get Rs30,000 per month from one such vehicle. The sources said that such a vehicle, obtained by a police officer from Nazarat, was recently caught by a police party during snap checking. It transpired that the vehicle was used in the rent-a-car business instead of in the official use of the said police officer. However, no action was taken and the police party released the vehicle since it belonged to a police officer.

Another source disclosed that a four-by-four, which was acquired by a police officer through an FBR auction, was rented to a cellular phone company.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of vehicles have been given through Nazarat and the FBR auctions and how many such vehicles are being misused is anybody’s guess,” said a government official.

He said that there was no mechanism to monitor the use of official vehicles, including those given from the central vehicles’ pool.

However, the Chief of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee, Sharfuddin Memon, who has a role in monitoring the central vehicles’ pool, said that he was unaware of any case wherein a vehicle given to any official from Nazarat was found being used in the rent-a-car business. “We would like to inquire into the issue if some clue is provided to us,” he remarked.

In 2006 the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had decided to auction the vehicles seized by the customs department.

A letter titled ‘Disposal of tampered/confiscated vehicles’ stated that the buses and vans might be utilised for pick and drop of officers and staff working in FBR headquarters and its field formations. Other vehicles (cars, jeeps etc) may be sold to the government/semi-government departments at the highest possible price.

Any leftover vehicles may be offered free of cost to the government-run educational, medical and scientific institutions as recommended by the respective ministers, on a first come, first served basis.

The sources said that the customs authorities confiscated hundreds of vehicles each year on various pretexts and their disposal always remained a questionable exercise.