Parliamentary panel keen to recover billions stuck up in litigation

ISLAMABAD: The parliamentary accountability committee has sought the assistance and indulgence of senior government officials to help remove hurdles in recovering billions of rupees of the Revenue Division stuck up in litigation.

A notice, copy of which is available with The News, was sent to the Attorney General of Pakistan, Ministry of Law and Justice Secretary and registrars of Income Tax, Customs and Inland Revenue Appellate Tribunals on Thursday, urging them to attend a meeting of a sub-panel of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly on Aug 31 to discuss the issue.

On Wednesday, the sub-committee-VIII met under the chairmanship of its convener Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and reviewed compliance on the PAC reports for the years 2009-10, 2008-09, 2006-07, 2005-06 and 2004-05 involving Rs50 million and above amounts pertaining to the Revenue Division and gave a direction.

The direction said the attorney general or his nominee, law secretary and registrars of Income Tax, Customs and Inland Revenue Appellate Tribunals may attend the next meeting of the committee to address the issues/audit paras involving billions of rupees pertaining to the Revenue Division and pending in courts/tribunals in the country because numerous posts have reportedly been lying vacant since long.

An official said that the recovery of the stuck up public money has been hampered because of shortage of the required personnel. The committee wants the government to fill the vacant posts without delay. He said the true picture of the present vacancies would be given by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials who have been asked to attend the PAC meeting.