KARACHI - The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Sindh Assembly on Thursday directed the police to expedite their efforts to recover arrears of Rs265 million from various government and private agencies on account of service charges of police guards. Discussing the audit report of Police Department of Sindh for FY2003-04, the PAC also instructed to write a letter to Sindh Home Minister urging him to take special interest into the matter. There was nobody from the committee was present in the meeting other than Sardar Jam Tamachi Unar, chairman of the PAC, who started proceedings of the committee at 11am in the morning, however, Muhammad Shoaib of MQM came later. The accountability body settled all the paras, except deferring para 13.1 which pertained to non-recovery of police guards service charges of Rs268.760 million from the government and private agencies. Provincial Police Chief Sallahuddin Babar Khattak told the meeting that letters have been written to the government and private agencies for clearing arrears of Rs265 million in terms of the services of police guards who had been hired by these agencies for security purpose. It was informed the meeting that a total sum of Rs268.760 million arrears are pending to the various government institutions including State Bank of Pakistan, National Bank of Pakistan, Telecom department, Microwave stations, PTCL, Sui Southern Gas Company, Radio Pakistan, Pakistan Television, Pakistan Railway, National Saving Centre, General Post Office and Parco. However, private agencies such as Anound Textile Mills, Digri Sugar Mills, M/s Hisons Textile Industries and other individuals are also defaulters on account of services of police guards for security purpose. Khattak said that delegations of the police officers also met with the above-mentioned agencies but no progress has been made for payment of arrears by the government as well as private agencies. He opined that matter could be solved by adopting two ways; withdrawing the police guards from the security of said agencies and to approach the court for recovery of arrears. But, police were not authorised to any of the options without permission from the higher authorities concerned of the government, he said. Khattak also said that keeping in view of present law and order situation, the withdrawal of the police guards services was not a viable solution. On this occasion, Director General Audit Nazeer Ahmed Sehar said during the audit of the government agencies, it had been unveiled that budget provision for security purpose was already present in the budget of these agencies, so government could make at-source deduction of these arrears for police. The PAC in its meeting held last year already directed the police department to expedite the recovery of guards service charges as said amount was required to be recovered in advance according to the rules. The letters had been written to the Sindh Governor, Sindh Chief Minister and Chief Secretary to intervene the matter to ensure recovery of amount from the above mentioned agencies but no progress for recovery of arrears was reported. Khattak informed the PAC that police guards were not provided by the Provincial Police Officers Office but it was done so on the instruction of the government. However, remaining paras were settled by the PAC.