Court moved against PIC ‘irregularities’

LAHORE

Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed has filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court against alleged "irregularities" in purchase of medicines at Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) of Lahore.

The opposition leader, who is also chairman of Public Accounts Committee, filed the petition through Advocate Sheraz Zaka saying that he wanted to expose the corrupt and malpractices of the provincial government and its functionaries involved in misappropriation of tax payer’s money regarding purchase of medicines and other disposable items in bulk at the PIC.

The petitioner stated the government awarded contract to a private medical store for bulk purchase of medicines and other medical disposable items. He alleged that the respondent medical store had been blatantly flouting terms and conditions of the contract by providing medicines to the PIC at excessively higher rates than the prevailing market price. He further alleged that the medical store’s management in connivance with government authorities was engaged in such malpractices and misappropriating the tax payers’ money. He pleaded that all the malpractices related to the government departments were to be scrutinised by the public accounts committee.

However, he said, since 2013 the committee had remained dysfunctional and details of the impugned contract were not being provided to it. The petitioner has prayed the chief minister should hold an inquiry in order to expose the wrong doings of the officials.