ISLAMABAD: Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday directed Finance ministry to provide a comprehensive report of pensioners receiving pension from Pakistan Post Offices and National Bank of Pakistan.
The committee meeting chaired by Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah raised certain questions on the report already submitted by the NBP and the ministry on the issue seeking more clarity.
Members of the committee Sheikh Rohale Asghar, Raja Javed Ikhlas, Rana Afzaal Hussain, Mehmood Khan Achakzai,Mian Abdul Mannan, Parvez Malik, Sahibzada Nazeer Sultan, Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, Sheikh Rasheed attended the meeting and discussed the audit paras and reports of the Ministry of Finance for the year 2009-10.
The secretary finance answering about withdrawal of pension of 0.6 million fake pensioners declared it baseless story and said that no fake pensioner is receiving pension from the banks and Post Offices.
The PAC was briefed that in 2012 a total 2.2 million pensioners were receiving pension and later on total number were decreased to 1.6 million.
The committee directed the Ministry of Finance to check the record of total pensioners withdrawing pension from all banks and Post offices and present a report.
The audit officials said that details of ghost pensioners should be presented otherwise it can be checked by the audit.
The committee further directed the ministry to submit details of those accounts whose bank loans were written off while accounts are still running.
Auditor General said after 18th Amendment, no one is exempted from audit adding that the AGP office also conducts audit of SME bank while only NBP was not following this practice.
The chairman, PAC said the issue of audit will be discussed in the Parliament through a bill.