30 buses stuck at port: CM asks AG Sindh to release funds

KARACHI: Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqar taking serious notice of the delay in the release of 30 buses imported from China at Karachi Port has warned the Accountant General, Sindh to release the required amount without any further delay.

“If any decay or fault is accrued to the buses, the Accountant General will be held responsible,” the CM said in a statement issued from the CM Secretariat.

The CM said that the buses had already landed at the Karachi port and the provincial government has released the required amount of Rs1000 million endorsed by the Treasury Office, Karachi but sorry to say the AG Sindh refused to accept the endorsement.

The Accounting Offices endorse cheques in the name of the beneficiary or a Manager, NBP/Commercial Bank, along with the scroll. The Finance Division has clarified that the term “Accounting Office” includes Treasury Offices. This means that Assan Assignment Account cheques can be endorsed by the Treasury Office (TO). This information was conveyed to AG Sindh’s office on November 11, 2023.

Despite the Finance Department of the Sindh government advising in favour of the Treasury Officer (T.O) Karachi for endorsing cheques, the AG Sindh’s office ignored this advice and violated Procedure 2023. Furthermore, the AG’s office sent a letter on November 27, 2023, restricting National Bank branches in Karachi to only honour cheques endorsed by the AG, which disabled the Treasury Office Karachi from performing its duties. As a result, all necessary expenses related to dishonoured advice are currently on hold.

The Finance Division has given permission for T.O Lahore to continue endorsing Assan Assignment Account Cheques for the Lahore district. Similarly, the Treasury Office performs public accounting functions for the Karachi district, making it convenient for departments to process their cheques through T.O Karachi. The Sindh govt’s Finance Department has also declared T.O Karachi as the endorsing authority for Assan Assignment Account cheques, but this has been hindered by unnecessary interference from AG Sindh’s office.

The CM has advised the AG Sindh to resolve the issue of payment within the next two days, otherwise, it would be held responsible for the decay and faults in the buses, if occurred.