ISLAMABAD: Syed Naveed Qamar, convener of a sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly, has barred Indus River System Authority (Irsa) from paying allowances and other expenses to its officials till the framing of service rules by the authority.
The directive was issued in this regard after the scrutiny of audit paras relating to Irsa as the Audit officials told the PAC that the authority had not framed the service rules for its officials since 1992 and paying different allowances to its officials.
Irsa Chairman Mohammad Raqib Khan requested the committee not to stop the payment and said the framing of rules was in process and likely to be completed in a couple of months.
However, Qamar said how framing of rules could be completed in weeks, which had not done in over the last 20 years.
The audit officials also raised a para regarding the payment of Rs3.2 billion to the contractor of Ghazi Barotha hydropower project in the fiscal year 2003-04.
Wapda Chairman Zafar Mehmood informed the committee that the contractor had left the project unfinished after the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
