Rs300m embezzled in Pilgrims Welfare Fund: audit report ISLAMABAD:
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday took strong notice of embezzlement amounting to Rs300 million in the Pilgrims Welfare Fund (PWF) of the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
This was revealed during the meeting of Monitoring and Implementation Committee of PAC, which met here with Yasmeen Rehman in the chair. The committee also reviewed the implementation progress of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ministry of Zakat and Usher showing deep concern over the misusage of PWF by the officials.
The audit officials informed the committee that funds from PWF were used to purchase car, furniture etc in 1996 even after the fact that the funds are specifically allocated for the welfare of pilgrims.
Yasmeen Rehmen raised serious objection to the embezzlement during which several million rupees were diverted and thus the money was misused. “PWF should be closed as the funds are badly misused and moreover there is no record of the funds,” she said and added that there is need to take strict action against those who are guilty.
The secretary of Religious Affairs replied that since the PWF is for the welfare of
pilgrims, it is beyond com-prehension that how the Principal Accounting Officer of that time used it for other purposes.
He assured the committee that proper investigation would be conducted in this regard and report would be presented before the committee. Reviewing another audit para, the meeting was informed that every year deserving people are sent to per-form Hajj on government expenses out of the assistance of Rs40 million provided by Sheikh Rashid Al-Maktoom in 1988.
The officials of the ministry replied that the money is kept with the finance division and a profit of about Rs6 million annually is used to sent deserving people to perform Hajj and added that last year 39 people were sent on government expenses and due to raise in expenditures, the number would further decrease this year.
Responding to a query, the secretary Religious Affairs stated that a set criteria is strictly followed while choosing the deserving people. The members of the committee proposed that the number of deserving pilgrims should be increased and there should be a benchmark of Hujjaj.
Hamid Yar Hiraj maintained that out of 160 million population, the selection of 39 deserving people is a tough job and suggested that the ministry should fix the number of deserving pilgrims to at least 100 people.
He said that if the same routine will continue, the number of deserving pilgrims would further decrease and a new pandora box would open up. The meeting suggested that the money must be invested in a better place so as to get increased profit and the criteria for the selection of pilgrims must be reviewed to make it more transparent.
