ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday directed Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) to present a comprehensive report clearly identifying the responsible for a dubious deal of billions of rupees of strategic partnership between Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and Pakistan Post.
A PAC meeting under the chair of Rana Tanveer Hussain further directed the AGP to complete the inquiry over the alleged deal signed without approval of relevant authority, bypassing PPRA rules and clearly mention the responsible.
The Chairman PAC, however, rejected the request of one of its members 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).
Replying to the questions by former speaker National Assembly and now member PAC, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq over this deal, Secretary Communication Zafar Hassen explained his position but the PML-N parliamentarian asked the Principal Accounting Officer to reply “Yes or No” and most of the replies, Mr Hassen gave were “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.
Zafar Hassen explained before the PAC that the ministry of communications, being the Principle Accounting Officer of PPOD, he went through all the documents of this deal and found some “shortcomings” in it 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’.
