Re: ﺷﺎ ﺧﺮﭼﻴﹻﺎﮞ
**CJ given raw deal over misuse of official cars
**By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: Misuse of staff cars has become a norm with every Tom, Dick and Harry, violating the rules without any fear of being penalised. However, the same violation has become a ‘crime’ in the case of the chief justice of Pakistan.
Several ministers, bureaucrats—both military and civil—and even the office-bearers of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League have been found misusing official vehicles during the present regime, but no one is penalised, although the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed references against ex-ministers for the same act.
As earlier reported by this newspaper, Pakistan Muslim League President and former interim prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has been using a brand new state-owned fabulous bulletproof Mercedes Benz despite not being authorised under the law. The Mercedes that was provided to him in early 2004 was returned to the government in the middle of last year.
Although federal ministers are allowed only one 1600cc staff car but there are several ministers having more than one official vehicle. There are a few, including Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid and Minister for Political Affairs Amir Muqam, who have been provided with bulletproof Mercedes jeeps. These ministers, the government sources claimed, have been provided with these VVIP jeeps for their protection.
Under the law, the Mercedes could only be officially provided to the president, the prime minister, governors and chief ministers whereas in a special case the Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker have also been allowed to use Mercedes Benz though not the protected ones.
Even under the law, federal ministers and ministers of state are to be provided 1600 locally manufactured cars. There is no provision in the law or rules under which a political leader not holding public office could be given even an ordinary official car what to talk of protected Mercedes Benz.
There is one federal minister—Zobaida Jalal—who had officially admitted that she and her staff are enjoying the use of four official vehicles instead of one. “The numbers of vehicles being used by me and the staff are only four and not five. Vehicle No: 8066 NCSW (National Council for Social Welfare) was returned the day Rais Jehangir (NCSW chairman) joined. Please correct your records,” Jalal wrote to the then secretary social welfare and special education, who on January 1, 2005, put the matter before the minister for her “eyes only”.
The documents showed that car No LXL-5039 was used by the minister as against her entitlement. Besides this vehicle, the minister was informed that she was also using IDG 5044 and IDB 8066, clearly bracketing them, among “non-entitled”. Two other cars IDB-8067 and IDC-6345, the minister was told, were used by the non-entitled staff of the minister—her PS and SO respectively.
Another file of the ministry speaks of misuse of official vehicle by the ministry’s Parliamentary Secretary Rifaat Amjad, who initially wanted reimbursement of extra fuel consumed but later withdrew her demand when told that she was not allowed this.
File No Dy 768/2005-DA (Admn) reveals a Feb 2005 controversy over the parliamentary secretary’s repeated tours to her hometown – Faisalabad—during holidays and weekends on official vehicles and seeking reimbursement of fuel charges well above her ceiling. The ministry’s bureaucracy clearly wrote that it was a violation of rules and the policy.
When the file was put before the minister, she wrote, “I authorise the P secretary to make tours and visit centres/schools and put up reports on her finding. The fuel on these official visits may be paid by the ministry.” But the minister was told that most of the visits were during holidays when the offices and schools were closed. Moreover, the minister was informed that there was not even one special education school at Faisalabad.
“We have all the respect for the parliamentary secretary and the minister but as principal accounting officer, I have the onerous responsibility to bring the government rules and regulations to the kind attention of the worthy minister, as public money is involved,” the minister was told by the then secretary.
Later in April, the parliamentary secretary, according to the documents, visited the secretary special education and assured her that she did not intend to insist on reimbursement on account of petrol and she would be quite happy if she was ensured supply of her legitimate POL every month. The minister was told of this development in writing. She signed without offering any comment.
An internal circular No F3 (64)-G.II/2001 of the Finance Ministry issued on October 16, 2001, showed that eight vehicles were being used by the then finance minister and his staff; two each by the then secretary general finance and the then secretary finance. Additionally, some of the non-entitled officers were also provided official vehicles.
The circular said that the finance minister used IDF-8223, IDG-1108 and IDG-1183 (as a standby car). His staff, though not authorised, was provided IDC-1861. Special assistant to finance minister/joint secretary was using ABS-296. Joint secretary coordination in the finance minister office, again without authorisation, was using IDF-8553. Adviser to finance minister was using GA-0585 and director general publicity in finance minister’s office uses HR-496. The secretary general, a re-employed official, was using IDJ-8731, IDE-3434 (standby) while his staff was assigned, without authorisation, GP-7015. The finance secretary was using IDJ-8735 while another vehicle on general duty was assigned to take care of the needs of his family. His staff also uses GP-6151.
The joint secretaries who were provided with vehicles without any legal authorisation included the then JS (budget) IDF-5041, JS (EF) IDF-3980, JS/director (BC) IDF-9524 and JS (IF) IDE-5128. Under the rules only one staff car is provided to a minister and bureaucrats in BS 21 and 22.
Interestingly, the Cabinet Division has been issuing repeated reminders to all concerned, observing that the misuse of official transport for private/unofficial purposes in government departments and autonomous organisations is a common feature. Families, children, relatives and friends of unauthorised officials are often seen misusing official vehicles for visits to market places, education institutions, entertainment and sports facilities and for social calls.
This violation, however, continues unabated even though NAB has got convicted some ex-politicians and former Balochistan ministers, like Mir Mohammad Ali Rind, Sardar Abdul Rehman Khitran and Haji Behram Khan Achakzai for misusing the government vehicles. The former National Assembly speaker, Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani, was also facing a reference for misusing official vehicles.