Karachi:
The Sindh’s Public Accounts Committee (CAP) has uncovered financial irregularities up to a huge RS2.45 billion funds allocated to food, medicines, clothing and furniture provided to the province’s prisons. The CAP ordered the Interior Provincial Secretary to conduct an investigation and submit a report in a month.
The CAP, which met its president Nisar Khuhro in the president, examined the audit reports of 2019 and 2020. Khuhro interviewed the Ig Qazi Nazir Ahmed prisons about the entrepreneurs awarded tenders of a value of several rupees for the supply of essential articles to the prisons. He specifically inquired about the quality of the three daily meals provided to prisoners and procedures in place for quality controls.
IG Ahmed explained that prisoners receive three meals a day in all prisons, and the quality of food is monitored by doctors and judges. However, the CAP was not satisfied with the explanations of the penitentiary authorities concerning the purchase of items such as food, medicines, furniture and clothing, for which official calls for tenders had been issued. Consequently, the CAP ordered the prison authorities to involve agents from the Sindh Food Authority to inspect the quality of food in various prisons, including the Karachi central prison.
The CAP has also raised concerns about a million non -recorded rupees that would have been spent by Malir’s prison. Prison authorities said money had been used for maintenance and fuel, but the CAP requested detailed files within 10 days for verification.
The PAC member, Khurram Karim Soomro, also questioned the security measures of the Malir prison, which raises concerns about the escape of a prisoner through a window despite the huge funds allocated to the penitentiary reforms. Prison authorities did not provide a satisfactory response to the CAP concerning the incident.
Subsequently, the CAP ordered an internal audit of all the Sindh prisons to investigate these financial differences and ensure responsibility.
