KP-based NGO's office sealed for fraud in relief goods

PESHAWAR The law enforcement agencies have sealed the office of an NGO in Charssada district run by a woman affiliated with the ruling party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over charges of embezzlement in aid meant for the flood victims. The office of PAIMAN NGO, run by Mussarat Qadeem, was sealed in Charsadda located at District Headquarters Hospital after a probe pointing out embezzlement of relief goods worth billions of rupees, sources disclosed to TheNation here on Thursday. Filing a case against the head of the NGO and two others has also been ordered, they said. According to sources, relief goods worth billions of rupees from Pakistan Air Force and US were handed over to PAIMAN for distribution to the flood victims, however, the NGO reportedly got involved in embezzlement of the same. The scam surfaced during monitoring of the NGOs involved in relief work by the FIA teams as per directives of the Interior Ministry. The Ministry had asked the Director FIA Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Fasiuddin, to keep a close vigilant on the NGOs working in the province after which the said NGO was monitored for its performance. According to the sources, FIA after receiving information about the embezzlement raided the NGOs office in Charsadda and sealed it. However, no action has so far been taken against Musarrat Qadeem despite strict orders for filing a case against her along with two other persons. It is worth mentioning here that the Provincial Social Welfare Department has also handed over a survey of victim families of blasts, terrorist attacks in KP to the same NGO for handing over compensation money to these families. However, some people in Peshawar told TheNation that despite forms were filled and handed over to the NGOs by the victim families, no compensation was provided to them. TheNation tried to contact Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar and Provincial Information Secretary Arbab Tahir for seeking governments version, however, none of them responded despite repeated calls. Whereas the contact numbers of Provincial Minister for Social Welfare Department, Sitara Ayaz, were constantly off.

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