PAC smells fishy in multi-billion HBL–Post deal
Aftab Ahmed
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday directed the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) to present a comprehensive report clearly making responsible for a dubious deal of billions of rupees of strategic partnership between HBL and Pakistan Post.
A PAC meeting under the chair of Rana Tanvir further directed the AGP to complete the task over the alleged deal for getting not approval from the competent authority and also bypassing PPRA rules by clearly holding responsible particularly the former secretary communications and now sitting Chief Secretary of Punjab Jawad Rafique Malik.
However, Chairman PAC rejected the request of one its member to summon the Chief Secretary, Punjab in the next meeting to explain this dubious deal of Rs 118 billion between HBL and Pakistan Post Office Department (PPOD).
Opening a volley of questions by the former speaker National Assembly and now member PAC, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq over this deal and handed over a book comprising all the relevant records and correspondents on it.
To all the questions asked by Mr. Sadiq, Secretary Communication Zafar Hassen tried to explain the position but the PMLN parliamentarian asked Principal Accounting Officer to reply “Yes or No” and most of the replies, Mr. Hassen gave were in “Yes”.
He also confirmed that a multibillion deal between HBL and PPOD was executed when his successor—Jawad Rafique Malik was in office but made it clear that the deal was signed in a transition period of Mr. Malik’s transfer to Punjab and his appointment.
Zafar Hassen explained before the PAC that the ministry of communications, being the PAO of PPOD, after joining the ministry, gone through all the documents of this deal and found some “shortcomings” in the deal and that is why, he is re-negotiating with HBL management as the deal’s Addendum permits both the parties to amend the “master agreement”.
