LAHORE - Punjab district government’s audit reports had been submitted to the governor but had not been forwarded to the Assembly for debate, the Lahore High Court (LHC) was informed yesterday.
Punjab’s Auditor General said his office had fulfilled its obligations by submitting these audit reports to the Punjab governor. Now it was up to the governor to send these reports to the assembly, he told the court.
Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, opposition leader in Punjab Assembly, filed the petition saying that the audit reports of Punjab district governments for final years 2001-02 to 2011-12 had not bee filed with the Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee. The LHC made no judgment but adjourned proceedings until January 14 (tomorrow).
During the course of hearing, the opposition leader’s counsel said the audit reports of district governments of the Punjab had never been presented to the Public Accounts Committee of the Punjab Assembly nor were laid before the Assembly itself.
The counsel contended that it was the violation of section 108 of Punjab Local Government Act, 2013, which says that the audit reports of the auditor general shall be considered by the Public Accounts Committees.
He stated the PAC was the main instrument of parliamentary system and its strengthening was vital to ensure accountability of public funds and good governance, which would eventually eliminate corruption from the public sector.
He asked the court to order the respondents to place the audit reports of the district governments before the PAC as well as Punjab Assembly.
“I’m sure that if these reports are presented before the PAC or before the assembly, huge corruption will reveal,” he said. “I hope the audit reports will be open as the order will be passed on the next hearing,”
bailed: Seven persons allegedly involved in holding a dance party and doing revelry released on bail by a local court on yesterday. The court ordered them for the payment of Rs 100,000 surety bond each.
The suspects include Muhammad Umar, Ameer, Qamarul Zaman, Khalid, Haris, Bilal and Abdul Majid.
The suspects were arrested when they were busy in observing a dance party at a local hotel. Police was informed that some people had held a dance party and hobnob in the area. At this, the police reached on the spot and took them into custody.
Police said that the suspects were also involved in a gang rape case along with Adnan Sana Ullah, said to be close aide of provincial education minister Rana Mashood Ahmad. The suspects were behind the bar in the gang rape case.
dismissed: The acquittal application of a terror suspect in Model Town incident dismissed by an anti-terrorism court yesterday
Amir Saleem, the former station house officer of Faisal Town police station, had sought his acquittal from the Model Town incident in which 14 people lost their lives and 100 others were injured.
Amir Saleem was arrested in 2014 on the charges of misusing his power as station house officer of the police station and attacking workers of Pakistan Awami Tehreek in Model Town over a matter of barricades kept on roads leading to Minhajul Quran Secretariat in Model Town for security purposes.
During the proceeding, the suspect’s counsel contended before the court that his client was not involved in any kind of terrorism and he did not attack anyone during the operation. He told the judge that two FIRs were registered in the case which showed malafied intention of the high up officers of police department.
How two FIRs were registered about one incident, he raised a question while arguing on the case. He pleaded the court to release Amir Saleem. After hearing his lengthy arguments, the court announced the verdict and dismissed the application.