Zubair Yaqoob
Chairman Sindh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, expressed frustration over the Excise and Taxation Department’s failure to submit audit records worth 175 million rupees for two fiscal years. Khuhro revealed that since 2008, nearly 5,000 audit paras from various departments remain unresolved, as certain officials avoid providing records, thus tarnishing their departments’ reputation before the PAC. “Officers responsible for this negligence should be dismissed,” he stated, emphasizing that PAC’s role is not to act as a messenger and urged departments to take it seriously. Khuhro made these remarks on Monday during a meeting held at the Sindh Assembly’s committee room, where the PAC reviewed audit reports for the Excise Department covering the years 2018 to 2020. The meeting was attended by committee members Qasim Siraj Soomro, Khurram Karim Soomro, Syed Farukh Shah, Rehan Rajput, and officials including Secretary Excise Saleem Rajput and DG Excise Aurangzeb Panhwar. When the session began, the Excise Department could not present records for audit observations totaling over 175 million rupees. Annoyed by the absence of these documents, Khuhro questioned the officials, demanding to know who was responsible for not fulfilling this duty and if a focal person had been appointed for the task. Committee member Qasim Siraj Soomro held the focal person accountable, stating that the officer in charge of these records must take responsibility. Another committee member, Khurram Karim Soomro, called for action against the negligent officer, questioning why such responsibility was given if it was not being fulfilled. Khuhro insisted that officers stop treating the PAC as trivial, affirming,
