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Express Tribune
02-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
PAC orders audit of Rs2b monthly allocations to UCs
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly has ordered a comprehensive audit of the Rs2billion monthly budget allocated to union councils (UCs) across the province, citing concerns over financial irregularities and lack of oversight. In a formal letter to the auditor general of Pakistan, the PAC expressed concern that the substantial funds distributed to 1,600 UCs across Sindh are not being properly audited. The committee noted that while the Sindh government disburses Rs2billion monthly to these local bodies, there is no ongoing scrutiny of how the funds are being spent. According to the letter, only the UCs in Karachi Division were audited by the Directorate General (DG) Audit between 2018 and 2019. The financial activities of UCs in other districts of Sindh remain unaudited, raising serious accountability concerns. In response, the PAC has urged the AGP to instruct the relevant DG Audit offices to conduct a three-year audit of the budgets and expenditures of UCs throughout Sindh. Meanwhile, the PAC reported huge recoveries from various government departments in Sindh, totaling over Rs16.22billion to date. The latest recovery of Rs3.42 billion includes, Rs1.87billion deposited by DG Audit Local Government from recoveries made between September 2024 and April 2025. It also has Rs782.72million collected by DG Audit Sindh between July 2024 and April 2025 and Rs772.18million recovered by DG Audit Works during the same Rs12.59billion was recovered in outstanding water charges from various federal and provincial institutions on behalf of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board. These amounts have all been deposited into the government treasury. PAC Chairman Nisar Khuhro stated that the PAC held 97 meetings between July 2024 and May 2025. During this period, the committee reviewed 1,383 audit paras from various departments, settling 325 of them. The remaining 1,058 paras were deferred for further consideration. Khuhro stressed that the recovery and deposit of over Rs16billion into the government treasury reflect the PAC's unwavering commitment to financial accountability and transparency. He affirmed that the PAC will continue its efforts to recover public funds and ensure fiscal discipline across all government departments.
Express Tribune
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PPP ramps up protest against canals
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sindh chapter on Wednesday escalated its protest against the controversial six-canal project, announcing the second phase of its movement. In a video statement, PPP Sindh President Nisar Khuhro declared that torch rallies would be held across all tehsil headquarters in Sindh from Wednesday evening. He asserted that resolving Sindh's water crisis required sustained pressure through continuous protests, as water scarcity threatened the province's future and survival. "The six-canal project is detrimental to Sindh, and its people will never accept it," Khuhro asserted, adding that the PPP would persist in its protests until the plan is scrapped. Similarly, the PPP staged a torch rally in Lyari on Wednesday to protest against the controversial six-canal project on the Indus River. Former PPP Karachi President Najmi Alam, MPA Yusuf Baloch and PPP South District President Javed Nagori addressed the rally, reiterating the party's firm opposition. The speakers rejected accusations that PPP was silent on the issue, stressing that the party had formally demanded a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to discuss Sindh's water rights. On the other hand, the Darya Bachao Tehreek (Save Indus Movement) also announced a series of protests against the alleged unlawful diversion of Sindh's water and the construction of six new canals. The movement has planned multiple demonstrations, beginning with a major rally in Gambat on April 3, followed by an awareness march from Sakrand to Hyderabad on April 5, culminating at Hyderabad's Hyder Chowk. Key political figures, including Sindh United Party President Syed Zain Shah, Dr Safdar Abbasi, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Ayaz Latif Palijo and Kashif Saeed Sheikh are expected to address the gatherings. A large protest will be staged outside Karachi Press Club on April 6, while a signature campaign will be launched in various cities of Nawabshah district on April 7 to mobilise public opposition. Protests against the construction of canals and corporate farming using waters from the IndusRriver continued on Eid day in Badin like other cities of Sindh. The atmosphere in the city resonated with slogans against the canals.
Express Tribune
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Pressure builds up on PPP against canals project
The nationalist and anti-canal activists have built up pressure on the Pakistan Peoples Party for the withdrawal of its support to the federal government. Responding to the pressure, PPP Sindh president, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has said that his party's street protest is the first step towards building pressure on the government. At a press conference in Hyderabad on Thursday Khuhro reiterated that the PPP is being criticised for buttressing PML-N government and its policies. "But, contrarily, the fact is neither we are in the central government nor do we have any federal ministry." He asserted that the PPP's only purpose behind what is being perceived as N-league government's support is to see continuity of democracy. He maintained that President Asif Ali Zardari has no authority to sanction or reject projects regarding the construction of six new canals on the Indus River. He said the project was also not brought before the parliament for approval. Khuhro said, PPP had grudgingly accepted the 1991 water accord but the incumbent government wants to change even that accord. He pointed out that the Council of Common Interest (CCI) is the platform which is supposed to resolve disputes like the water sharing among the provinces. However, he regretted, the CCI's meeting has not been convened for years. "Over 4 million acres of land in downstream of Kotri Barrage has become uncultivable because of water scarcity," he lamented. "But I feel sad that the N-League has learned nothing from the political storm which Kalabagh Dam had created in the country." Khuhro also blamed the PML-N for silently accepting construction of Thall canal by a military general. He explained that water for the controversial Cholistan canal, which aims to turn desert region in a sprawling green one, will be drawn from the Indus through the greater Thall canal and Sutlej River.
Express Tribune
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Canals: PPP announces protests in Sindh
The Pakistan Peoples Party Sindh on Friday announced to launch a movement against the controversial Indus canals projects and called protest rallies in all district headquarters across the province on Tuesday, March 25. PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, while speaking at a press conference with Waqar Mehdi and Ajiz Dhamrah, at the Sindh Assembly, criticised the "dictatorial federal government" warning that the PPP protests would force the Centre to abandon the canals projects. "The PPP will take out rallies and protest demonstrations in all district headquarters of Sindh on March 25 against the controversial six canal project. I appeal to the people of Sindh to come together and fight together against these canals," Khuhro said. "I salute the people protesting against the canals project and we and support their struggle. We will contact all political and nationalists parties in connection with the protest movement, so that we can end this anti-Sindh project through a joint struggle," he added. Khuhro regretted that certain political parties in Sindh criticised the PPP, but they never brought out rallies against the canals project. The canals project is more dangerous than the Kalabagh Dam, it will turn Sindh barren." The PPP, as well as many other nationalist parties are opposing the construction of six new canals from the Indus. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had been openly speaking against this "unilateral decision" of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led coalition government. Also, President Asif Zardari in his address to the joint session of parliament earlier this month minced no words in cautioning the federal government against its unilateral decision to carve out new canals from the Indus river system, saying the project should be 'abandoned' as he would not support it. The controversy had erupted over a federal government plan to dig six new canals to irrigate barren lands in Punjab's Cholistan area under the Green Pakistan Initiative. The PPP, which governs Sindh, says that the decision has been taken unilaterally and that it would harm the province's agriculture. Khuhro told the press conference that by starting the construction of the Cholistan Canal without the approval of any constitutional forum, the federal government had revived the memory of former military dictator Pervez Musharraf, who built the controversial Thal Canal through an executive order. "Now the federal government of the PML-N is playing an authoritarian role," he said, adding that the Punjab government has unconstitutionally allocated budget for the Cholistan Canal," he said. "The PPP will fight against the canals project at all constitutional forums, as well as in the streets," he added. "The PPP will not allow anyone to construct even a single canal from the Indus River. Just as the previous PML-N government had to withdraw from the Kalabagh Dam, the current PML-N government will have to withdraw from these six canal projects," Khuhro added. In response to a question about the PPP being part of the ruling coalition, Khuhro stated that there were demands of the PPP to leave but the fact was that the party was not part of the federal government. He also warned against a conspiracy of forming a national government.
Express Tribune
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PAC sniffs misuse of prisons' funds
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly has unearthed financial irregularities to the tune of a whopping Rs2.45 billion in funds allocated for food, medicines, clothing, and furniture supplied to the province's prisons. The PAC directed the provincial home secretary to conduct an investigation and submit a report within a month. The PAC, which met with its Chairman Nisar Khuhro in the chair, examined audit reports from 2019 and 2020. Khuhro questioned the IG Prisons Qazi Nazir Ahmed about the contractors awarded tenders worth multibillions rupees for supplying essential items to jails. He specifically inquired about the quality of the three daily meals provided to inmates and the procedures in place for quality checks. IG Ahmed explained that prisoners are served three meals a day in all prisons, and the food quality is monitored by medical officers and judges. However, the PAC was not satisfied with the prison authorities' explanations regarding the procurement of items such as food, medicines, furniture, and clothes, for which formal tenders had been issued. As a result, the PAC directed prison authorities to involve officers from the Sindh Food Authority to inspect the quality of food in various prisons, including the Karachi Central Jail. The PAC also raised concerns over an unaccounted Rs8 million reportedly spent by Malir Jail. Jail authorities claimed the money was used for maintenance and fuel, but the PAC asked for detailed records within 10 days for verification. PAC member Khurram Karim Soomro also questioned the security measures at Malir Jail, raising concerns over the escape of a prisoner through a window despite the huge funds allocated for prison reforms. The jail authorities failed to provide a satisfactory response to the PAC regarding the incident. Subsequently, the PAC ordered an internal audit of all Sindh prisons to investigate these financial discrepancies and ensure accountability.
